A Blessed Curse
by Riyuto-san
Summary: Naruto bites off more than he can chew when he accidentally triggers a cursed jutsu to activate, binding him to the 8 year old emotionless orphan Suzuka. Bad luck soon follows him wherever he goes as he attempts to raise the child. No one has yet to survive this curse. Will Naruto be the first, or die trying? Maybe with a little help from Hinata, he can pull it off. Naru/Hina
1. The Orphan Suzuka

(Author Notes) Hey there. I am Riyuto-san, and I hope you come to enjoy this story as it progresses. I honestly meant to sit down and begin on the sequel to one of my other works, Bonds of Time, but now I find myself writing this. While I do plan on beginning it soon, I wanted to tell this tale that has been on my mind for years now.

I'll try to keep an update schedule for my stories. I plan on having 3 running simultaneously for a short while, on top of writing my own novel. In a way, this is practice for me and a chance to improve my writing style. That is why I ask for your honest reviews at the end of the chapters.

This story takes place after the war. However, the war didn't go exactly the same I guess, as Sasuke has been successfully brought back and no longer harbors hatred for Konoha. Akatsuki is completely defeated, and there is a sort of peace in the ninja world right now.

Okay, now that that's all out of the way, let's delve into my newest concoction. Hopefully I don't mess this up.

**Disclaimer:** Riyuto-san does not own Naruto. You could probably fill a book with things he doesn't own, anyways.

* * *

**A Cursed Blessing**

**Chapter 1: The Orphan Suzuka**

The sun rose to greet a beautiful, cloudless day. A lone carriage strolled down the dirt road at a casual pace. They were making good time, and the travelers would reach their destination soon.

Inside the horse-drawn carriage sat two elderly women on one side, and a small girl on the other. The child had short azure blue hair and a soft face and hazel eyes. She was dressed in purple jacket.

"Not too much longer, and we'll be rid of her." Said one of the older women. There was a little excitement in her tone.

"We shouldn't talk about her like she's not here, Alza." Said the other woman.

Alza glanced at the child. "Megumi, you know as well as I do that this child doesn't care."

"You're right." Megumi conceded. "I'm honestly going to be a little sad to part with her."

"Are you mad, sister?" Alza snapped. "Do you know of the misfortune she has brought onto our village? How many lives were lost? Have you forgotten Terumi?"

Megumi flinched. "Yes, you are right. I meant to speak of the village we are taking her to, not being sad to be rid of her."

Alza nodded. "Yes, but it's not our problem anymore. We must put this behind us."

The entire time the two women spoke, the child stared down at the floor. Her face betrayed no emotion, nor did it acknowledge the passengers she rode with.

It wasn't long before the carriage came to a stop. Alza and Megumi beamed at one another and exited the carriage. They ushered the small child out of the carriage and pushed her in front of them.

They came up to the man who steered the horses speaking with the gatekeeper. He gestured to the women, and the elder ladies conversed with him. Alza pointed at the child, and the gatekeeper looked down at her and nodded. He hollered at someone to open the gates.

"Welcome to Konohagakure." He said.

* * *

Alza and Megumi entered the Hokage's office with the small child in tow. They each greeted Tsunade in earnest before taking seats before her desk. They sent the child to a chair along the wall. She wordlessly obeyed.

"I trust your trip was safe?" Tsunade asked, taking a seat at her desk.

"It was very uneventful, thanks to the escort you provided. Many thanks, Hokage-sama." Alza said.

Tsunade glanced over at the child. "I take it that is the child mentioned in your letter?"

The two women nodded. "Yes." Alza said. "We fear there is no place for her in our village that is safe."

"In your letter, you never specified the reasons for her safety being an issue. You addressed a problem placing her, and noted several attempts to do so have had her permanently shunned from many villages." The Hokage said.

"Yes," Megumi spoke quickly. "We have no explanations either, Hokage-sama, else we would have told you of them earlier. The child is a mystery. Many people have died after taking her in, and we are not sure why. We have been in search of help in identifying the source of the problem, which is one of the reasons we brought her to your village."

"Do you think there is some sort of jutsu attached to this child?"

"It is a possibility. We have heard tales of the amazing people of Konohagakure. Surely someone can identify her problem." Alza said.

"You said one reason?" Tsunade asked.

Megumi nodded. "We can no longer watch over her. Too many incidents have transpired, too many lives lost because of her."

Alza shot her sister a nasty look that warned her to be silent. "My sister means that we have no means to take care of the child. We have brought her documentation; we just need your approval to accept her as a member of the Konoha Orphanage." She reached for her purse and produced a folder of papers, which she handed to Tsunade.

The Hokage combed through the papers, glancing over each one briefly.

"Are you sure you wish for her to be put into the orphanage?" She asked. "I'm sure with these credentials we could find her a family quite easily."

"No!" The two women gushed. Tsunade nearly jumped out of her seat. They composed themselves and cleared throats. "Our apologies." Alza said.

"Yes. You see, bad things happen to the people who have tried to…adopt her…in the past." Megumi said.

Tsunade's brow narrowed in thought . She looked over at the small girl still sitting in the chair. Usually, a small child would be fidgeting in the chair or looking around. She seemed determined to stare at the floor, as if it fascinated her to no end.

She rose from her seat and went over to the girl. She knelt down so she was eye level with her.

"Hello, my name is Tsunade. I am the Hokage of this village. What is your name?" She asked sweetly.

She waited for her to respond, but it never came.

"Her name is Suzuka." Said Alza, folding her arms across her chest and sighing. "In all the time I've known that girl, she has never uttered a single word."

"Never?" Asked Tsunade. Alza shook her head. "Is it from some sort of trauma?" She asked.

Tsunade heard arguing coming from the next room. The male voice was protesting, and she recognized it all too well. Before she could rise to try and quell the voices, the door swung open and Uzumaki Naruto came through it, followed by a protesting Shizune.

"Obaa-chan!" Exclaimed Naruto. She rose to her feet and sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Tsunade-sama." Cried Shizune, head hung low in defeat.

"What is it Naruto?" Tsunade asked irritant. She stole a glance at her frightened guests and shook her head. "If you hadn't noticed, I'm in the middle of something."

"Whatever it is can wait!" He exclaimed. He seemed a little peeved about something, and she had a feeling she knew what it was.

"How rude." Alza chided, scowling at Naruto.

Tsunade sighed. "What is it Naruto?"

"How come you let Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan, and Kakashi-sensei go on a super cool mission without me?" He demanded like a small child denied ice cream after dinner.

She rolled her eyes. "Naruto, you're undertaking Hokage training. I thought you'd want to be here learning how to do my job when I'm ready to pass it on to you rather than wasting time on a mission."

Naruto's expression changed from angry to understanding to defeat. "Yeah, I get that. But…it would have been the first mission with Team 7 fully together again."

Tsunade finally understood what his problem was. He had been looking forward to his original team being together again to go on missions. Since Sasuke's return after the war, there hadn't been many missions to go on together. He had missed his chance today.

"There will be other missions, Naruto. But isn't Hokage your dream? You could show a little more enthusiasm." She advised.

He folded his arms in defeat and averted his gaze.

"He's going to be the Hokage one day?" Asked Megumi skeptically. She exchanged a glance with her sister that showed pity for the village.

Tsunade smiled. "Yes, but not for a very long time."

Naruto was about to retort, but his comeback died on his lips when he finally noticed Suzuka staring up at him with no emotion. When their eyes met, she jumped in her seat and resumed gazing down at the floor.

"Hey, what's your name?" He asked. He crouched down and tilted his head. When she didn't answer, he repeated his question. He tried a third time, a little louder, but she completely ignored him. "What gives?" He asked, a little irked.

"Suzuka doesn't talk, Naruto." Tsunade informed.

"She deaf and mute or something?" He asked, staring at the girl like she would give up her secrets if he kept doing so.

Alza shook her head. "No, she just chooses not to talk. No one knows why. It's just the way she is."

"Huh…." He muttered.

Tsunade sighed and whacked Naruto across the back of his head. "Leave the girl alone, Naruto." She ordered. He rose and muttered something under his breath. Tsunade returned to her desk and looked the paperwork over once again. She pulled out her stamp and marked the appropriate areas. Once she finished, she handed the papers to Alza.

"With this, she is officially a ward of Konoha, a member of our village. Take the papers to the orphanage and drop her off. I'll have someone escort you." Tsunade said. She smiled at Shizuka, who still didn't acknowledge her. "Welcome home, Suzuka."

Alza took the papers, she and her sister rose and bowed to Tsunade and thanked her. They ushered Shizuka out the door, and she followed obediently out the door.

"Poor kid." Muttered Naruto.

Tsunade approached Naruto. She rolled up a sheet of paper and whacked him again on the head. "Poor kid? You better worry about yourself, Naruto."

"What? What did I do?" He asked.

"You interrupted my meeting. You better be prepared for your punishment."

"P-p-punishment?" He stammered.

"You're training today is going to be so severe, you'll wish you were never born!"

* * *

Naruto strolled down the streets of Konoha, gripping his right wrist in pain. "Damn Obaa-chan. I'm going to get carpel tunnel for sure because of you."

He shook his wrist and let his mind wander from his hurt wrist. It was nearing dinner time, and Tsunade hadn't let him have a lunch break. As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly. He patted his belly.

"No sweat. I'll just go get some ramen and I'll be good as new." Just the thought of Ichiraku's ramen made him even hungrier. Determined, he began sprinting in the direction of the ramen stand.

Halfway there, the smell of smoke began to fill the air. He paused where he stood and glanced around. He didn't see any fire anywhere near, but he definitely smelled it. It definitely wasn't a coal fire. It smelled different. He jumped up on top of a building for a better look.

He spotted black smoke rising a short distance away. Thoughts of food disappeared as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop in the direction of the smoke. He found the source of the smoke easily. It was the village's orphanage.

The orphanage was engulfed in crimson flames. People gathered in the streets in front of it. Women screamed as children cried. He saw some men yelling for help, but didn't recognize any of them as shinobi. Was he the first ninja on the scene?

He suddenly remembered Tsunade mentioning the little girl Suzuka was going to live at the orphanage today. Last time he saw her, she was heading for this place. Was she still inside? Were there other kids inside too?

He scanned the street. He saw a few children, but knew there should have been way more gathered. He heard women scream that there were still people inside.

That sealed it. He slipped into sage mode and jumped down onto the street. He created several sage powered shadow clones and they all rushed past the pedestrians and burst into the building through the door.

"Scatter and save everyone you can!" Naruto ordered his clones. They all dispersed, and he ran through the building. He checked every room he came across, taking great care to avoid the fire. He covered his mouth and had to squint as he searched. It was definitely hot, but nothing he wasn't used to.

The fire was spreading rapidly. Beams of wood collapsed as the fire crackled. Using his sage eyes, he was able to detect the chakra of several people trapped in a room. He broke through the caved in door and scooped up several children. He rushed through the path with least flames and broke through to the outside.

He saw his clones coming and going, dropping off survivors and rushing back into the building. He and his clones repeated this for a few minutes. Each time he went in, Naruto could feel that the building would collapse soon. What had started this fire in the first place?

When he thought everyone had been evacuated, he dispelled his clones and looked the building over. He concentrated, searching for chakra signatures.

His heart stopped beating when he noticed a very faint chakra source. He looked around, and didn't see Suzuka among the children being attended to. What if she was still in there? He wasn't going to stop to wonder. He rushed into the building again, despite cries that it was going to come down any minute.

The signature was on the top floor in the very back of the room. Naruto rushed up the stairs. A large chunk of ceiling came crashing down, and he had to dive forward to avoid being scorched and buried alive. He chocked it up to good luck as he watched it smash into the staircase, forcing them to collapse under the impact. He turned and located a patch around flames to the last survivor.

As he ran he couldn't help but think. Why was he so worried about this little girl? He hardly knew her, hadn't even said a word to him. Maybe it was because he saw a little of his old self in her. Maybe it was pity. Maybe because she was now a member of his village, and she was to be protected at all costs.

Whatever it was, he wasn't going to let this person die.

"Suzuka!" He called. The floor about gave out under his feet as he ran down the hallway. He dove forward, tucked and rolled. He didn't dare glance back. He rounded the corner and made a mad dash down the burning hallway. Why was she so far back?

Naruto reached the door and tried the door handle. It was scalding hot. He pulled his hand back in pain and tried blowing on it in vain. He kicked the door down in one kick. He scanned the room quickly.

The two women from earlier were buried underneath wooden debris aflame on opposite sides of the room. He knew they were dead when he could see no chakra. Suzuka sat in the center of the burning room. She was still expressionless, but she acknowledged Naruto's grand entrance.

Her small pink shirt was burnt in certain places, but other than that you would not think she was in the middle of a burning building. Her knees were pulled up to rest her chin. Did she plan on dying here?

Not on Naruto's watch!

He rushed forward and scooped her up in his arms. She didn't struggle, didn't even cling to him in terror. What was wrong with this kid?

He gave her a reassuring grin. "Don't you worry Suzuka. I'll protect you no matter what!"

Suzuka's eyes widened as tears began to flow. "No!" She screamed.

A blue light flooded the burning room. She screamed loudly. Naruto felt a surge of overwhelming confusion. Why was the room blue?

He looked down at her and noticed the blue light was coming from her small body. It pulsed around her, and spread throughout the room with a mighty rush of wind. The flames vanished immediately, but the blue light still lingered.

She squirmed in his arms, still screaming. He put her down and watched her. She fell to her knees crying.

"What's going on?" He asked desperately. He looked around the room, wondering if the fire was still engulfing the rest of the building.

The blue light began to glow brighter on her back. He thought he saw a blue flower glowing through her shirt before fading. He felt a tingle rush up his back. He jumped at the feeling, and looked around defensively. He didn't see or sense anything behind him. What was that feeling, then?

The blue light faded. Only the sounds of creaking wood remained.

He quickly went to the door and glanced around. The fire was out here too. There wasn't a trace of flame anywhere, though the building's foundation would probably still give way any moment now.

Not wanting to tempt fate. Naruto ran over to Suzuka, scooped her up in his arms, and took off running to escape the building.

* * *

(Author Notes) So how was it? Not too bad, I hope. Considering it's just the first chapter, I don't think it's too bad.

So what happens next?

5 Reviews or no update (Basically, reviews motivate me to write more. By asking for 5, I like to know people are reading. Understandable, right?)

This is the un-beta version of the chapter. This message will disappear when it's been grammar checked. I write late at night, I'm bound to make some mistakes.


	2. The Curse of the Lotus

I really should be doing Bonds of Time II right now. But I'm having fun with writing this while I take a break from writing my novel. It's hard work, I tell ya.

I realize I never described Suzuka properly. Once again, I write late at night so that somehow slipped my mind. I fixed it in chapter one for everyone.

**Disclaimer:** Riyuto-san does not own Naruto. Apparently some guy named Kishimoto beat me to it.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Curse of the Lotus**

Naruto burst through the threshold of the building, still carrying Suzuka in her arms. She made no attempt to struggle or show discomfort the whole trip. The fire had been completely snuffed out throughout the building. It still threatened to collapse though, so he had to run full speed.

He was met with cries of his name and a crowd of people rushing up to him.

"Uzumaki Naruto to the rescue again!"

"What did you do to put the fire out?"

"Was it some kind of new secret jutsu?"

The questions came relentlessly, and he grinned nervously as he struggled to find the right way to describe what had happened. Honestly, he was just as lost as everyone else. What was that blue light?

He looked down at Suzuka. Her expression betrayed her usual manner. She seemed…sad?

A man cleared the crowd from around Naruto and offered him a tank of oxygen. He took it and inhaled the fresh air. He put it to Suzuka's mouth next since she needed it more. She took in the oxygen without question.

"Naruto!" Yelled a familiar voice. Tsunade came rushing down the road. When she reached Naruto, she seemed relieved. "What are you doing here? What happened?"

He told her everything. She adopted a puzzled expression when he got the part with the blue light. "What are you doing here, Obaa-chan?"

She glanced over the scorched building. "I had a hunch something would happen today."

"Do you know what happened with that light?" He asked hopefully.

She shook her head. "I'm afraid I have not a clue." She looked down at Suzuka. "You say her escorts are dead?" He nodded. She sighed and looked around at the crowd. "We need to continue this conversation in private. Come back to my office. We have some things to discuss." She said, her eyes focused on Suzuka.

* * *

Naruto stood in Tsunade's office for the second time today. It had only been about an hour since he had been here last. Honestly, it had been the last place he wanted to go today. After Tsunade's lesson, he could do with hiding in his apartment for the rest of the week. He noticed all of the papers he had to write earlier were shredded and in the trash can. He scowled, but remained silent.

Tsunade had a chair pulled up beside her desk for Suzuka to sit while she took her own seat. She stared down at a sheet for paper for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh and looking up at Naruto.

"You said you saw the blue glow on the child's back, right?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, it got really bright and then disappeared. Then I felt some weird tingle go up my back and then the fire went out."

"I see…." She muttered. She went to Suzuka's side and leaned down. "Do you remember me from earlier?" She asked. Suzuka nodded. "That's good. Do you know how that fire started?"

Suzuka shook her head.

Tsunade thought for a moment. "Do you mind if I look at your back?"

Again, she shook her head.

"What do you want to look there for?" Naruto asked.

"I believe whatever the blue light was might have left some sort of trace where it originated from." She replied.

"Err…okay. I get it." He lied. What was she talking about?

She reached for Suzuka's shirt, paused and turned to Naruto, giving him an evil eye. "Turn around."

"Why?" He asked.

"You're a boy. I don't want you to peek."

His cheeks flushed. "Are you kidding? She's, like, 8 years old! I'm not into that kind of thing!" But Tsunade's glare refused to waver. He grumbled to himself and turned.

He only had to stare at the wall for a few seconds. Tsunade gave a gasp and told Naruto to take a look. Of course Suzuka had been turned around so Naruto could only see her back. His eyes lingered on the image on her back.

A large blue flower was tattooed across her upper back. Naruto counted the petals. There were twelve. He found that odd, but didn't think much of it.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's a lotus flower." She answered.

"What's so shocking about it?"

She folded her arms. "This is most likely the source of the blue light."

He raised a brow as he leaned in closer to examine it. "Are you sure? Looks like a regular tattoo to me."

She paused in thought before turning to Naruto. "Take your jacket and undershirt off."

"What?" He yelled.

"Do it."

"Why do you want me to take my clothes off?"

"Naruto, do not argue with me. Just do it."

"I don't think I should. I'm pretty sure there's a law or something out there that says I don't have to."

She sent him a chilling death glare. "Do it, or I swear tomorrow's Hokage training will make death seem attractive."

Something told him she meant it. He begrudgingly pulled his jacket off followed by his black shirt. She made him turn around so his back was facing her.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed.

"What? You knew what?" He asked.

"You have the exact same tattoo on your back, Naruto." She replied.

"What? I've never gotten a tattoo before in my life! And if I did, it wouldn't be a stupid flower!"

She sighed. "Calm down. It's probably a jutsu of some kind linked to the child."

"Then how do I get rid of it?" He asked.

"If I knew how to do that, I would." She growled.

"You'll never get rid of it." Suzuka said. She had put her shirt back on and was standing besides Naruto. He looked down at her. She still wore a blank face, but Naruto could swear he saw a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Tsunade raised a brow. "I thought she didn't speak."

A memory flashed through Naruto's mind. "In the orphanage, she screamed no when I found her."

Tsunade came over to Suzuka's side. "And why is that, Suzuka."

"Because he's going to die soon." She replied.

"Huh?" He asked, a little surprised. "What's the big idea? If that's your idea of a joke, it's not funny."

Tsunade took it seriously. Her hand found her chin as she thought.

"Oh, come on Obaa-chan! You can't take her seriously. She's just a kid." He complained.

"I'm not so sure about that." She thought for a moment. "I'm going to get a second opinion. Wait here." She left the room for a minute or two before returning.

"A member of the Hyuuga clan will be here shortly to confirm something for me." She informed him.

"Confirm what?" He asked.

She journeyed back to her desk and plopped herself down in her chair. "I have a feeling that this is some sort of forbidden jutsu." She leaned in closer, stealing a glance at Suzuka, who had returned to her seat. "And I believe she knows exactly what's going on."

Naruto nodded and looked back at Suzuka. The sadness and loneliness in her eyes still betrayed her blank expression. Was he the only one that noticed this, or did everyone else notice it too? He found a seat near Suzuka and took it while he waited.

After a few more minutes of waiting, a gentle knock came from the door. Tsunade called for the person to enter.

The door came open slowly and Hyuuga Hinata entered the room.

Breathing suddenly got a much more difficult as he froze at the sight of her. A voice echoed in his head. _'Because I love you.'_

His eyes met with Hinata's, and both of their cheeks flushed. He averted his gaze to the floor. It was at this moment he realized he was still shirtless, and felt even more blood rush to his face.

Tsunade rose and thanked Hinata for coming down.

"H-h-how may I be of service, Hokage-sama?" She asked nervously.

"Naruto, stand up please." Tsunade ordered. Naruto didn't move. She grabbed him by the ear and damn near pulled it off as he sprang to his feet. "There, that's better."

Naruto rubbed his ears in pain. He stole a glance at Suzuka. Her poker face was still up, but there was a hint of interest in her eyes, which rested on the Hyuuga heiress.

"I need you to examine a strange seal on Naruto's back." Informed Tsunade. She spun him around so his back was facing her despite his protest.

Hinata nodded, activating her byakkugan. "Hai, I'll do my b-best." She replied. Her cheeks were flushed crimson as she looked at Naruto's back.

Hinata's eyes ventured from his back to the space in between Naruto and Suzuka to the small child and back to Naruto. She adopted a puzzled look on her face.

"Well?" Asked Tsunade.

"I can see a strange chakra hovering on of N-Naruto-kun's back around the flower. There is also a blue thread of chakra connecting him to the child over there." Relayed the shy kunoichi.

Tsunade nodded. "Anything else?"

Hinata focused her attention to the thread. "Hai. There appears to be a small ball in the center. It is moving in looping motion. Chakra is flowing towards N-Naruto-kun, but it is flowing from the child to the ball in the center."

The Hokage sighed. "Thank you Hinata." She ran her hand through her hair. "This is worst than I thought."

"Can I put my shirt back on?" Asked Naruto impatiently.

She nodded and he was dressing in the blink of an eye. After pulling his orange jacket on over his head, he glanced at Hinata, who was doing her best to look away, her cheeks still flushed. "So what did you mean by the blue thread thing?" He asked.

A wooden beam snapped loose from the ceiling and came crashing down on top of Naruto's head, slamming his back onto the floor. Both Suzuka and Hinata gasped. Suzuka gripped the side of her chair with all of her strength.

"Naruto-kun!" Cried Hinata. She beat Tsunade to his side and pushed the wooden beam of wood off of her crush.

"Odd." Tsunade remarked. "That wasn't loose earlier."

Naruto stirred, gripping his head and swearing as he sat up.

"A-are you alright?" Hinata asked desperately.

He smiled kindly and gave her a thumbs up. "Are you kidding? It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me."

Relief washed over her as she smiled. "You're right."

They both blushed, and they had to look away from each other in embarrassment.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and helped Naruto to his feet. "Are you sure you're alright?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. What the hell happened?"

Suzuka spoke up before Tsunade could answer. "It's only going to get worse." She said, standing up and walking towards them.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"It's all because of you that this has to happen." She said accusingly.

Hinata looked from Naruto to Suzuka. "W-who is this child?" She asked.

The Hokage was surprised. She had been told this child never spoke, and here she was talking again. "Her name is Suzuka. She's an orphan. We don't really know anything else, though." Replied the Hokage.

"Why is it my fault? It was just a loose board, no big deal." Naruto replied.

"You made a promise you shouldn't have." She said.

"What was that?"

"You promised to protect me no matter what." It came out almost like an accusation.

Naruto raised a brow. "How does that work?"

"You activated the curse when you declared you would take care of me."

"I knew it!" Tsunade exclaimed. "I knew it was a curse seal."

Suzuka nodded. "Yes. Whenever someone declares that they will take care of me, the seal activates, no matter what. It's effects always differ, but the lotus flower always appears without fail."

"I never agreed to take you in!" Defended Naruto. "I was only trying to calm you down so you wouldn't get scared in the fire when I said that."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. The curse acts on its own. All that mattered was your intent to protect me. In its eyes, you agreed to take me in and shelter me from harm. Now you are bound to a curse of bad luck that will only grow until it consumes and kills you."

"That's stupid! I don't believe in bad luck! Not one b…." He paused and blinked several times, eyes wide as dinner plates. He heard Hinata gasp. "What did you say?"

Suzuka locked eyes with Naruto with a gaze of sympathy and sadness. "You're going to die soon."

* * *

(Author Notes) Eh, it's shorter than I would like it to be, but its fine. Too long and it's barely readable unless it's super interesting. I'm getting through the "set-up" phase of the story. The real fun starts soon.

So now we know a little about what happened. What does this mean for Naruto? How will Hinata become entangled in this mess? Stay tuned to find out!

Remember, 5 reviews or no update. I really do appreciate them. I read every single one, and reply to most of them.

Once again, this version has yet to be proof read. Once obloquious sends me back the final copy it will replace this one, and this text shall disappear.


	3. Naruto's New Tenant

Can't believe I'm already working on the third chapter. I drew Suzuka and created the cover. I quite enjoy this new feature of creating a book cover for your story. Granted I'm not talented enough to draw a complex cover that I actually picture for my stories, but having something is a cool feeling. Let me know what you think about the drawing. I did it in MS Paint.

**Disclaimer:** Riyuto-san does not own Naruto. I wouldn't do this if I wasn't convinced that the one time I didn't, I'd get arrested.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Naruto's New Tenant**

"I'm…going to die soon?" Naruto asked, pointing at himself. The child nodded. "How could you possibly know something like that?"

"It's happened to everyone so far…." She trailed off.

"And you're certain his fate cannot be changed?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes." She said. There was no doubt in her voice at all.

"I see…." Tsunade muttered, delving into her thoughts.

Naruto glanced over at Hinata to take in her reaction to all of this. She looked absolutely horrified. It made his heart hurt for some reason. He shook those embarrassing thoughts away and concentrated on the problem at hand.

"What do you mean Obaa-chan?" He asked.

She looked over at Naruto. The look in her eye told him he wasn't going to be much of a fan of what she had to say.

"Naruto. I want you to take this child home with you." Ordered Tsunade.

Naruto nearly fell back and hit his head. "What? You want _me_," He emphasized this by pointing at himself, "to take her home with me? A minute ago you called me a pervert!"

"I never said such a thing." She growled. It was a warning to not go there.

"Whatever. Why do I have to take her home with me?" He looked down at her and felt regret coarse through him. He saw her flinch when he asked the question, saw her hand clench and tighten. He wished he could take it back.

Before Tsunade could respond, he added, "I mean, I have no idea how to look after a little girl. I can barely keep track of myself!"

Tsunade sighed. "I understand your frustration, Naruto. But I'm afraid it's out of your hands now. The thread Hinata told us about shows you are now connected to this child." She looked down at Suzuka. "I assume that if Naruto leaves you, something bad will happen?"

Suzuka nodded. "Normally, the person can get reasonably far away, but not too far. I don't know what the range is, but very bad things happen to people who leave my side." She looked up at Naruto. "And if you refuse to take me, the curse will kill you immediately."

Naruto involuntarily gulped. Hinata gasped.

"Like I said, Naruto. Take the child home, at least just for the night. I'll do some research to try and find out if there is a way to break the jutsu." The Hokage said.

"But what about my training?"

"I'm grounding you until further notice."

"What?" Naruto demanded. "You can't do that!"

"I Just did. Right now, your main priority is to stay with the child. If you want, consider this an S-class mission." She finished smirking at him.

He paused. "An S-class?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yes. And all you have to do is survive to complete it. I'll even mark it on your official record for you. Does that sound enticing?"

To be honest, it really did. An S-class mission on his roster sounded so cool. Surely he could do it without breaking a sweat.

He folded his arms as if to show Tsunade he wasn't happy out it. "Do you really think I have a chance?" He asked.

From behind, he heard Hinata whisper softly "I believe in you, Naruto-kun." He turned to look at her. She blinked a few times until it dawned on her that he heard her. She went scarlet red and froze in place.

He spun back around, cheeks flushed as well. Damn it! Why was it so awkward?

He saw Tsunade grinning, amused by what she just witnessed. "If anyone can do it, it's you." She said.

Naruto looked down at Suzuka. He smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. "Okay then! Suzuka, just watch. I'm going to kick this curse's ass! Come on!"

She nodded, still emotionless, and followed Naruto. As he reached for the door, it swung open and slammed right into his face. He stumbled backwards, gripping his bruised nose.

"I am so sorry Naruto!" Exclaimed Shizune from the doorway. "I was just trying to bring Tsunade-sama some important news and forgot to knock. Please forgive me!" She bowed apologetically.

Naruto shook his head and took in a deep breath. "That wasn't the curse, just bad luck." He muttered to himself. He quickly rushed out the door, Suzuka following close behind.

"Did I upset him that much?" Shizune asked worriedly.

Tsunade shook her head. "No, he was just given a very difficult mission. He'll be fine."

Hinata still stood in the office. Her gaze lingered on the threshold Naruto had left through. "I hope he'll be okay." She said aloud.

Tsunade smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "If you're so worried about him, you could always raise the child with him."

Hinata's eyes went wide as her cheeks heated up to such a degree, her entire face went red.

"I…I h-have to g-g-get home, or e-else Father w-w-will…." Hinata trailed off as she left the office in a hurry. She nearly stumbled into the door frame, but righted herself before disappearing.

"What was that all about, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked as Tsunade went to take her seat behind her desk.

"What I wouldn't give to be young again." Was her reply, smiling. It faded when she thought about the curse again. She told herself she wouldn't let Naruto die. She would find the secrets of this curse one way or another.

* * *

The walk home had been uneventful and nearly void of bad luck. Naruto only stepped in two puddles and a pile of dog poop. He refused to let it show these little things bugged him. Instead he would comment that he should watch where he was going, or that it wasn't the curse, just a regular day for him.

"If this is all that stupid curse can do, it's going to be a piece of cake." He proclaimed.

"It's only going to get worse." She warned.

"I don't care what it does. There's no way that this dumb curse is going to get the better of me, Uzumaki Naruto."

Not two minutes later, Naruto and Suzuka came upon his apartment complex. He led her inside the building and up to his floor. He found an older woman with her hair in a brown braid standing in the doorway of his apartment. It was the landlady.

She spotted him and rushed over to meet him. Her expression expressed practically begged his forgiveness. "Naruto-san." She greeted.

He looked from her to the doorway. "What's going on, Chitoge?" He asked, though he was certain he wasn't going to like it.

She bit her lip and sighed. "I'm afraid…something happened to your apartment while you were out."

She led Naruto down the hallway and into his room. It was soaked completely. Water dripped from the ceiling and wooden appliances. His bed was soaked, and so were his clothes.

"As you can see, your home flooded earlier today." Chitose explained.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, checking the cupboards to see if the food had been untouched. Sadly, all of the ramen cups had been damaged.

"A pipe burst on the roof. Oddly enough, it was only your apartment that flooded. We tried to stop it the moment it happened, but…." She looked up.

He followed her gaze to the center of the ceiling. Naruto saw daylight. There was a large hole in his roof.

"I thought you just said a pipe burst! How did this happen?" He asked.

Chitose sighed heavily again. She always did that when she had to bear bad news. He was used to it from when she had to inform him he was late on rent sometimes. "It did burst. There was an explosion on the roof above your room, and the water tank was punctured. It was like a waterfall, Naruto-san. I am so terribly sorry."

"What caused the explosion?"

She shook her head. "I asked the other tenants if they saw anything. I got the same response from all of them. No. I can't begin to describe how terribly sorry I am. I'll let rent slide for this month and the next if that helps."

He nodded and thanked her, folding his arms across his chest. Did somebody have it in for him? Curse or not, this probably would have happened regardless. Or, that was what Naruto wanted to believe. He looked over at Suzuka, standing in the doorway looking emotionless as usual. Chitose noticed the girl for the first time as well.

"Who is this little girl, Naruto?" She asked.

"She's…ah…a part of a top secret mission Obaa-chan gave me today. I have to babysit and protect her for a while." Naruto explained.

Chitose smiled. "I'm sure she's safe as long as she's in your care, Naruto-san." Then she frowned. "Are you sure it's alright, considering what happened here today?"

Naruto nodded, grinning. "Are you kidding? Being with me is the safest place for her. Besides, it was probably just an accident. We'll get it fixed and back to normal in no time."

Chitose smiled. "I see. I'm going to go and talk with other tenants about this and other concerns. I'll contact some people to come and take care of your room so you can sleep tonight."

"Thanks, Chitose."

She smiled. "I'm the landlord, it's my job." She bowed to Naruto and Suzuka and left the room.

After she left, Naruto smirked and created several shadow clones. "I'm not just gonna sit and wait. I'm gonna fix this place up myself." He grinned at Suzuka. "No curse is going to stop me!"

He gave various clones instructions. A few set off to get wood to cover the hole, while he and the rest went to work drying out the apartment. Some clones got rags and towels from willing neighbors to wipe down the floor, walls, and ceiling. Others pulled the clothes out and wrung the water out of them, and a few took the bed covers, sheets, and mattress to the roof to beat the water out of them. The wooden floor was damaged a bit, but there was nothing he could do about that without tearing the place apart.

Naruto produced a dry chair from another neighbor and placed it for Suzuka to sit. She obeyed, sat and observed Naruto and his clones doing work on the apartment.

The clones arrived back about an hour later with the wood, hammers, and nails so they could close the roof off. They set to work, and were able to get the job done quickly. It looked shoddy with the crater-shaped roof, but at least it would keep the bugs and possible rain out of the room.

Convinced he had done all he could for the moment, Naruto dispelled his clones and plopped himself down on the floor next to Suzuka.

"That wasn't too bad." He said.

She ignored him. He waited for a few minutes, but she was quiet. He grunted and rose to his feet.

Whatever. He would just act like she wasn't there. He would act normally, and eventually she would do something. He walked around the apartment, trying to think of something. He couldn't lie down, the blankets were still drying. His cabinets were practically devoid of food thanks to the water damage, so he couldn't warm himself up a bowl of ramen. He finally chose to sit by the window and pretend to be interested watching the villagers come and go.

A few would spot him in the window every now and then and wave at him. It was kind of cool, being liked by the entire village.

The child remained still. She never once asked anything or made a comment about the curse. It was like she had closed the door between them and thrown away the key. It frustrated and annoyed him that she just sat there quietly observing him.

After another hour, he couldn't take it anymore. He marched over to her and sat in front of her. "What's your problem? You were talking earlier, and now you're not!" He growled.

Finally, she opened her mouth. "Because earlier, I had to take responsibility."

"Responsibility?" he breathed, suddenly calm. He stared at her for a few moments, waiting for her to continue. She didn't.

He sighed and went to stand. He heard a familiar sounding growl. It wasn't from him, but it was from her. He looked down at her and blinked. She was still emotionless, but he heard her stomach growl again.

He grinned cheekily. '_You're belly is betraying your expression_.' He thought. She really was a child. No matter how tough she tried to act, she was still a little girl.

Naruto stretched his arms out and patted his belly. "Man, I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat, since all the food here is no good."

She nodded, and rose to her feet faster than he expected. He grinned.

"I'll treat you to the best food joint in the village."

* * *

(Author Notes)

Chapter's shorter than I'd like it to be. I basically split it up into two parts, and there's a good reason for it. I don't want to get the chapters to be too long so that they become a chore to get through. Down the road the chapters will get a little longer, but for right now I think the pace is fine. Especially when we get to the really good parts I have planned.

You guys know the drill, 5 reviews or no update.

Until next chapter, which will probably be this weekend.


	4. A Small Step

So, yeah. We're at chapter four. I hope you guys enjoy it. Just so you know, the chapters start getting longer next time. Not too long, but long enough. I believe start with the short ones, and then when it starts getting good, lengthen them.

**Disclaimer:** Riyuto-san does not own Naruto. You should have figured that out by now.

* * *

**Chapter 4: A Small Step  
**

Suzuka froze. She made a strange face and sat back down. "I'm not hungry." She stated matter-of-factly.

Naruto about fell over. He couldn't believe her! Just a second ago, she was all ready to go with him to eat. Now she was lying about being hungry. He cocked a brow, but she turned away and stared at the wall.

"You don't have to lie to yourself. I want to go out to eat, and I'm willing to pay for your food." Naruto offered. He reminded himself she was an orphan like he was, and they usually figure out that being less of a burden was the key to success. But she didn't have to put up a front with him. She had to know that.

"I told you I'm not hungry." She repeated.

"Then why is your belly rumbling?" Naruto asked playfully.

She gave him no answer.

"See? Your body can't lie to me. C'mon, you just said you wanted to go get something. Why did you change your mind all of a sudden?" He tried. When she made no effort to respond, he sighed and grunted.

"I don't get it. I mean, why are you acting like this?" He asked.

"I'm not acting. This is how I really am." She replied, almost like a robot would.

His eye twitched. "Tell me why you're such a gloomy person! Is it because of the curse? Look, I get that you don't like it, but I'm telling you Obaa-chan is going to find a way to fix it, so it's okay to lighten up a little."

Suzuka shook her head. "It will never be broken. You're just wasting the precious time you have left."

He folded his arms in defiance. "I keep telling you that is not going to happen. I'm going to break the curse, no matter what it takes. Just have faith."

She turned and locked eyes with Naruto. She held his gaze for several moments before speaking. "Faith is for the weak. If all it took was faith, I would have been freed from the curse years ago."

"At least you have people willing to help you!" He exclaimed. When she didn't say anything, he continued. "Do you think you're the only orphan out there that has it bad?"

Again, she didn't make a sound.

"Here's a newsflash for ya. I'm an orphan too. I've been one all my life, and you don't see me feeling sorry for myself." He didn't mean to be so harsh with her, but he was starving. He was strongly considering dragging her through the village by force and eating in front of her.

Surprisingly, Suzuka showed little emotion. It looked like she had been shocked to find out Naruto was an orphan. She managed to hide it behind a wall of indifference, but a little curiosity was cracking through.

"You're an orphan too?" She asked.

"Yep."

Her gaze sobered. "But you weren't cursed."

Naruto smiled sadly and sat down next to her. Maybe he could get her to open up a bit. "You wanna bet?"

She turned with a raised brow, but she remained silent.

"You ever heard of the Kyuubi?" He asked. She nodded, so he continued. "Well, his true name is Kurama, and he is sealed away inside of me."

While her face betrayed no excitement, her eyes lit up with curiosity and surprise. Naruto saw a desire to know more. He almost burst out laughing at the face she was making, but he forced himself not to.

"I never asked to be the host of the Kyuubi. On the day I was born, he was sealed away inside of me. It was done to save the village, and eventually the world, but no one in the village saw it like that. I was looked down on and hated for a long time. I felt like I had been cursed, but I didn't know why." He told her.

She was quiet for a few minutes, and Naruto wondered if she really got what he was trying to say or not. Finally, she spoke. "You said you were an orphan from the day you were born?" Naruto nodded. "What happened to…to your parents?"

Naruto sighed sadly. "They gave their lives to protect me and the entire village, and to seal Kurama away inside of me." He absent mindedly patted his stomach. "So I know what it's like, to not have parents. I don't know what happened to your parents, but I know they would want you to smile." He finished, grinning.

Suzuka made a small gasping noise and opened her mouth. No sound came out, but she looked like she wanted to say something to him. She trembled, bit her lip and went silent once again.

Naruto shook his head and rose to his feet. "So how about it? Will you go with me to get a bite to eat?"

She glanced up at him and nodded.

He wasn't sure why she had changed her mind, but he was glad she had. Maybe one day she would tell him why, but he could wait. Right now, he was starving.

* * *

Suzuka followed behind Naruto silently and obediently. She never protested again about not being hungry.

The sun was setting on the village. The street lights were already on, and the streets were less crowded. Naruto held onto his wallet for dear life, and made sure to count the money in it several times. He wasn't about to let someone steal it, or let it spontaneously burst into flames somehow. He would be damned if this curse was going to come between him and his precious ramen.

When Naruto and Suzuka reached the ramen stand, he silently thanked God before entering the establishment. Teuchi turned from behind the counter and locked eyes with Naruto, a regretful look on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. But we're all out of ramen tonight. Not only that, my daughter and I are packing up and moving the ramen stand somewhere far away tomorrow morning." He explained.

All color drained from Naruto's entire body. His eyes were wide, his jaw dropped as far as it would go, and he very nearly swooned and collapsed right there on the floor.

Teuchi burst out laughing at Naruto's reaction. "Relax Naruto! I'm just joking with you!" He said, wiping the tears from his eyes. He paused when he saw Naruto's shocked face remained. "Wow, that really hit you hard, didn't it?"

Naruto managed a nod. He recovered and chuckled pathetically.

Ayame glared daggers at her father. "Dad, don't scare Naruto like that!" She turned to him and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for my father's bad joke. How about a bowl of ramen on the house to make up for it?"

Naruto came back to life instantly. He grinned and chuckled. "That sounds great. I can't believe my _good_ luck." He said, looking down at Suzuka.

Ayame and Teuchi noticed Suzuka finally. "Who's the kid?" Teuchi asked.

"Her name's Suzuka. She's kinda…living with me for now." He replied, taking a seat at the bar. Suzuka pulled herself to a seat and sat quietly.

"She's so cute." Ayame cooed. "What would you like to eat, Suzuka-chan?"

Suzuka looked up at Ayame and stared blankly at her. Ayame blinked, feeling awkward as Suzuka refused to answer.

"Don't worry about it, she doesn't really talk much." Naruto explained.

"Is she shy?" Ayame asked, more to herself.

Teuchi jerked his head over to Suzuka. "What's going on to where you have to take care of a kid?"

Naruto thought for a moment. Did he want to explain about the curse? Then again, maybe Suzuka didn't want everyone knowing about it. And maybe he didn't want to give in and acknowledge this curse. "It's a top secret S-class mission. That's all I can say."

Teuchi whistled. "S-class huh? She must be some very special child for that kind of mission. So, what will it be?"

Naruto ordered pork miso, and ordered chicken miso for Suzuka. Teuchi whipped the two orders up quickly and placed the bowls down in front of his customers. Naruto broke his chopsticks and dug into the ramen. He stole a glance at Suzuka. She was eating as well, just not as fast as Naruto.

Naruto talked with Teuchi and Ayame the rest of the time he was there, sharing stories and jokes. He would sneak glances at Suzuka. She just observed them, like she was at a zoo and they were the animals on display.

After the meal, Naruto thanked them and left with Suzuka. The sun was gone now, replaced by a crescent moon. Naruto made Suzuka walk beside him, since it was night time. He wasn't about to worry about her getting abducted. Although she was probably safe with him around, he wasn't about to take the risk.

The walk home was devoid of sound.

That is, until Suzuka broke it by asking, "How do you know?" very softly.

Naruto looked down at her. "What?"

Suzuka stopped walking, forcing Naruto to do the same. They locked eyes. "You said earlier that Mama and Papa would want me to laugh. How do you know?"

Naruto felt a little taken aback. Had she been thinking about this the entire time? Had the answer really never crossed her mind?

He smiled, looking down on the blue-haired child. "Isn't it obvious? It's because you're their daughter, Suzuka."

"Because…I'm their daughter?" She repeated, a little confused.

Naruto nodded. "Yep. Every parent wants their child to be happy and smile."

Sadness threatened to creep across her face as she looked down to the ground. "You're too optimistic."

Naruto shook his head. "It's the truth."

"How can you say that?"

Naruto knelt down so that he was eye level with her. He placed his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him. "I've had bad luck all my life. I practically wrote the book on bad luck. But I've always pulled through and kicked that bad luck's ass through hard work and determination."

"Sometimes hard work and determination isn't enough." She replied.

"I don't believe that. I'll show you, there's no way this stupid curse is going to get the better of me. And when I break this curse, you're going to be free to do whatever you want." He said.

"No one has been able to escape this curse. Not even Mama and Papa." She said sadly.

Naruto froze, understanding flooding him. The curse took away people she loved. That was the reason for the wall. If she never loved anyone else ever again, she wouldn't be devastated and crushed when that person died.

"Suzuka, do you remember your parents?" He asked. She nodded, her eyes showing sadness and longing, but the face still stone. "Do you remember laughing with them? Playing with them? Having fun and loving them?"

She nodded. He could tell the memories were flowing through her mind. Her eyes had a way of showing her true emotions. He had heard someone say that eyes are the windows to the soul, but hers were special. It was like her bodies way of defying her emotionless face; by showing what she really felt through her blue eyes.

And right now, she was remembering, and feeling sad that she was. It was almost like she tried her best to lock the memories away so they wouldn't make her sad anymore.

"You're parent's loved you, Suzuka. You were precious to them. Curse or no curse, I guarantee they would still take you every time. So you should start being happy, so your parents are happy." He advised. He felt like Iruka or Kakashi giving a lesson in life. Was it because he could relate to her? Because he knew what it was like?

Suzuka went quiet. Naruto stood up, not sure whether or not this actually helped her or hurt her. Either way, this curse wasn't going to get him. Not on his life.

As they continued on the path to Naruto's apartment, Suzuka reached up and took Naruto's hand. He raised his brows and looked down at her. She was looking forward, showing no emotion.

He glanced down at the small hand holding onto his. He smiled and looked forward himself.

It was a small step, but it was the first step. The first of many to come.

* * *

(Author Notes)

I split up the two chapters because I felt they needed to be separate entries. Story wise, it felt right. I hate posting short chapters. This one was 5 pages long, and I want to tear my hair out because of it.

It's weird how I can spend an hour on a two page chapter. It's fun to write it.

Rest assured, I have big plans for Hinata. She'll enter the story very soon as an every chapter character. I have really big plans for the future of this story. Please continue to read it until the very end (or until December 21st, whichever comes first. What's your zombie plan?)

5 reviews or no update. I know it sounds harsh, but I see how many hits I get per chapter. Out of the hundreds of you that click on it, I think 5 of you can post a review out of the goodness of your hearts. Because, honestly, whenever I see a review pop up in my inbox, I'm eager to read it.

Anyone willing to take a crack at why Suzuka suddenly declared she wasn't hungry? I'll explain it later, but I'm curious to know if anyone of you has an answer.

Any feedback on the cover? Any at all?


	5. A Difficult Answer

Here's chapter 5. For those asking about when Hinata becomes a major part of the story, it's going to happen very soon.

I haven't written in a little while, and there's a good reason this time. I'll tell you guys after the chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Riyuto-san does not own Naruto. Not yet, anyways….

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Difficult Answer**

Naruto woke up the following morning with a very stiff back. Last night, his bed had been dried enough to sleep in thanks to neighbors donating dry blankets. Suzuka took the bed without a word and fell asleep immediately. Naruto's small couch was still too wet, and he wound up sleeping on the floor.

He pushed himself up to his feet and felt pain shoot up his back. He winced, but he managed to ignore the pain. He stretched and yawned as he took a look outside. The sun was just coming up, which meant it was early in the morning.

He looked over at his bed and saw Suzuka still sound asleep. He had to admit, for a little girl, she looked awfully cute when she was asleep. She looked almost happy, content.

Naruto decided to exercise a bit to try and alleviate the pain in his back. He stretched, did some push-ups, and meditated for his sage mode. Just because he was stuck here in the village didn't mean he could skip his training.

After a few hours, Suzuka finally sat up in bed, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

Naruto snapped out of his mediation when he heard her yawn and rose to his feet, grinning at the child. "Good morning, Suzuka!" He said.

She looked up at him and, as usual, nodded without emotion and climbed out of bed.

That was weird. He was sure she would act at least a little differently after the moment they shared last night. After arriving back home, she had thanked him before going to sleep. Now she acted like nothing happened. For some reason, it bugged Naruto.

Suzuka took a seat at the table. Naruto sat down across from her, looking at the child.

An awkward silence passed between the two. Well, awkward to Naruto anyways.

He couldn't take it anymore. "So, wanna go get something to eat before we go see Obaa-chan?" He asked. She had instructed him to meet her at noon the previous day.

Suzuka didn't respond. Naruto sighed.

This was going to take some getting used to.

* * *

The walk to Tsunade's building was uneventful, to say the least. Naruto's back pain had diminished greatly, so he could hardly feel it. He glanced down at Suzuka twice. Each time, he caught her looking at his hand, like she wanted to take hold of it again, but was too afraid to. He tried to offer it to her, but she made no effort to take it.

Tsunade was standing outside of the building, hands on her hips and her foot tapping the ground impatiently. She glared when she noticed Naruto and his tenant.

"You're late." She stated.

"Hey, you said noon. It's, like, 11:50." He defended.

The Hokage rolled her eyes. "I said to be here no later than noon. That means come earlier, not at the end of the deadline." She glanced down at Suzuka. "Come with me.

Tsunade led Naruto to the hospital. The walk there was uneventful for the most part. Naruto stepped in a few puddles of water, which was strange considering it hadn't rained in a while. Suzuka was quiet as always, and Tsunade led them silently through the streets. Several people waved at Naruto, which he still wasn't used to.

After entering the building Tsunade stopped and held a brief conversation with the receptionist. She glanced past Tsunade and at Naruto. She nodded at the Hokage and handed her a few sheets of paper.

"Okay, come on you two." Ordered Tsunade, turning towards Naruto.

He and Suzuka were quick to reach her side as she began walking. They turned down a hallway and kept going until they found the elevator. Tsunade pressed the button and waited.

"What are we doing here anyways?" Naruto asked.

"We're going to run some more tests on this curse." She replied.

"I thought Hina…" Strange. Why did he pause? "…Hinata already took a look."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, but I want more information. I've brought in some specialists to see if they can help."

"But why does it have to be at a hospital?"

"I told you, we're running tests. Medical and physical ones. We have machines here to test that sort of thing."

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. A few people filed out of the room, and the three of them quickly entered.

"So how has the luck been?" Tsunade asked. Naruto filled her in about the apartment being flooded.

"But that's nothing. It could have happened to anyone! Doesn't mean there's any bad luck!" He said. He didn't sound so convincing.

"I see…." Was her reply.

The ride up was quick and quiet. When the doors opened again, Naruto saw a few doctors and nurses walking through the halls.

Tsunade took them down to the far end of the building and led them to the door. She turned the knob and gestured for Naruto and Suzuka to enter.

The room was large. In the center was an examination bed that patients would lay on while the doctor examined the body. Hyuuga Neji stood on one side of the bed, arms folded patiently. On the other were two women Naruto had never seen before. One had short purple cat-like hair and amber eyes. The other woman had silver hair and brilliant blue eyes. If he had to guess, he would say they were around 25 years old.

The two women noticed Naruto immediately and each let out a squeal. Naruto flinched backwards. They bowed to him, beaming.

"Uzumaki Naruto-sama! It is an honor to meet you." Greeted the purple haired lady. "My name is Kyoya, and this is Yumi."

"Greetings." Yumi said, rising from her bow.

Naruto felt a little awkward, but he greeted them back, albeit nervously. He turned to Neji. "Hey Neji, what are you doing here?"

"I was asked by Tsunade-sama to assist in the diagnosis." He replied calmly.

"What about Hinata?" He asked. He hadn't meant to, it just sorta slipped out. He mentally punched himself as the question left his lips. Did he sound a little disappointed as well?

Suzuka tilted her head for whatever reason. Her brow was raised.

So was Neji's. "What about her?"

His mind raced to find an appropriate answer. "I mean, I thought she was going to be doing this. You know, since she did it last time?"

Neji eyed him suspiciously, but he relented. "Hinata-sama had a mission this morning, thus I am here in her place." He paused. "Why are you so curious about Hinata-sama?"

Naruto felt his cheeks flush. He waved his hands in front of him. "No reason. Just forget I ever asked about it, okay?" Why was he going through this? '_Is this part of the curse?_' He blinked and shook his head violently. '_You idiot, there is no curse!'_

He glanced down at Suzuka and found her just staring at him. It reminded him how kids stare at animals in the zoo when the animal is doing something strange. He sighed.

Tsunade cleared her throat loudly to signal everyone to listen to her. "Right, I've asked everyone to be here to search for a solution to Naruto's problem." She wasted no time informing everyone of Naruto's curse, and how he is bound to Suzuka.

"That is why I brought Yumi and Kyoya in. They are specialists when it comes to curse seal anatomy." Tsunade explained. The two women blushed and smiled at the praise. She glanced around the room. "Alright, shall we begin the tests?"

Test after test, Naruto felt that hope of ever getting out of here was dying fast. Hours passed, and after every test the confusion seemed to grow. They tried to find similarities between this curse and others, but that was a dead end. Then they attempted to figure out if it had ever been reported to have been used in the past, but apparently this was a completely unique curse. Just his luck.

After that, Neji pretty much confirmed everything Hinata had observed the other day. The rest of the tests were a blur to Naruto. After a few hours, Naruto and Neji were asked to wait outside while they work with Suzuka. It made Naruto a little uneasy, but Tsunade reassured him it would be just for a moment.

The minute Naruto stepped outside, a trolley carrying medical supplies ran over his foot. The nurse apologized before hurrying along. Naruto gripped his foot in pain. He and Neji stood outside the door, patiently waiting.

"Quite the predicament you've gotten yourself into." Neji commented.

Naruto sighed. "Tell me about it. Do you believe it?"

"Believe what?"

"About the curse."

Neji turned to Naruto, locking eyes with the blond. "I saw it with my own eyes. Whatever this curse is, it's dark. Very dark. And it's very real."

Naruto gulped. He could see it in Neji's eyes. Even Neji was afraid of it.

The door opened, and the men were welcome inside again. After another batch of waiting, They were ready to deliver the verdict.

Yumi stepped forward. "Naruto-sama, based on the tests we ran, we can conclude that this curse affecting you and Suzuka-chan is the first of its kind."

"Yes," Continued Kyoya. "We've identified that this curse is very powerful, and thus cannot be broken at this point in time. Maybe after some time, it will weaken and we can go from there. But, right now, there is no way of escaping."

The two women exchanged sorrowful glances and nodded. "It would have helped if there were other reports of a similar curse, but there aren't. Whoever crafted this made it from scratch. To be honest, it scares to know there is someone out there capable of something like this." Yumi said.

Suzuka gripped Naruto's pants leg. Her hand trembled, though her face betrayed no emotion.

"So that's it?" Naruto asked. "There's nothing I can do?"

"I'm terribly sorry, Naruto-sama?" Kyoya said bowing.

Naruto blinked and sighed.

"The thread that connects the two seems to be absorbing chakra." Neji began. "I fear that it will only get larger as time goes on."

An awkward silence befell the room.

"Naruto, please remove your jacket and shirt." Ordered Tsunade, breaking the silence.

"What?" He demanded, though he knew what she was talking about.

"Show them the curse mark. I want them to take photos and take them around on their journeys. Hopefully they'll meet someone who knows about this."

Naruto began stripping his clothes, and the girls let out a squeal as they watched. It annoyed Naruto somewhat, being gawked at while removing his jacket and shirt. Then he remembered he didn't get agitated when Hinata saw him do it.

'_Now is not the time to be thinking about that, you idiot!' _He yelled at himself.

They spun him around and Naruto heard cameras flash. He turned around and pulled his clothes back on. After zipping his jacket up, Kyoya handed Naruto a picture.

He accepted it and his eyes widened. For the first time, he got a good look at what the curse seal looked like. It was a blue lotus flower, similar to what he saw the day of the fire. He counted twelve petals.

"We believe the design is linked to the curse somehow." Yumi said. "And we believe it took effect when you declared your intention to take care of the child."

"We're sorry, but more research will be required before we can do anything about this, if we can at all." Kyoya apologized, bowing again.

Naruto smiled. Deep down, he knew this wasn't going to be easy. "Hey, it's cool. Don't worry about it." He looked down at Suzuka, still smiling. "I don't think she's going to be a pain to live with."

He heard the girls go "aww" but chose to ignore that.

Tsunade still wore her concerned expression. "You do realize that this curse will more than likely kill you."

Naruto grinned confidently, even if it was a façade. "No way am I going to let that happen. If there's a way to break this curse, then I'm going to find it and free Suzuka from this."

Everyone in the room fell silent. Naruto looked down at Suzuka. She was staring up at him, and he could have sworn she was on the verge of crying.

* * *

"Naruto, wait just a moment!" Called Neji outside of the hospital. Naruto and Suzuka had just left when Neji came up behind them.

"What's up?" Naruto asked.

Neji glanced down at Suzuka. "What do you intend to do about the child?"

Naruto shrugged. "I guess I'll take care of her at my place for now."

The Hyuuga nodded. "I see. Just remember to take good care of her and of yourself as well. Remember that this curse is designed to keep people away from the girl. As time goes on, the need to get rid of you will undoubtedly grow, and the curse itself will grow more and more desperate to get rid of you. Be aware of this."

Naruto felt like dwelling on this, but Suzuka was beside him. He wanted her to rely on him, to depend on him to break the curse. For her, he would put on an act. Naruto grinned, folding his arms behind his head. "You're worrying too much, Neji."

"I'm serious."

Naruto blinked a few times. "Why do you care so much, anyways?"

"Because if anything were to happen to you, Hinata-sama would be devastated." The way he said that without batting an eye kind of freaked Naruto out.

Naruto felt his face grow hot. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Neji gave him look that said he wasn't convinced, but he bowed and wished them luck before turning and leaving.

* * *

Thankfully, Naruto remembered to buy some food so he and Suzuka wouldn't starve that night. After eating dinner, Naruto went to check his drying clothes. They were still a little damp, but they would probably be fine later. He glanced around, a thought striking.

"Hey, Suzuka. Did all of your clothes burn in the fire?" He asked.

She nodded from the table.

He felt stupid for taking this long to notice she was still in the same clothes he had met her in. "Don't worry; we'll go get you some clothes tomorrow." '_Assuming I'm still alive, that is.'_

What everyone had said earlier was really getting to him. This curse had it in for him, and any day he could be taken out by it. Was it really going to be as difficult as it sounded? He shook the thoughts out of his head desperately.

He heard the floorboards creek. When he turned, Suzuka was approaching him. She stopped and stood, looking up at him. He blinked at her several times.

"Who is Hinata?" She asked.

Naruto about fell over. "What?" He asked, confused.

"Hinata. Who is she?" Repeated the blue haired child.

"Umm…Why do you want to know?" He asked. Why was it so difficult to answer this question? His head felt like it was going to explode.

"Whenever someone mentions her, you get nervous and start acting oddly when you are in the same room as she is. You're gaze softens significantly whenever you see her." She replied calmly.

Naruto chuckled nervously. "You're really observant, aren't you?" '_Well, she does do nothing but study other people all day. Of course she would be good at reading people….Wait…._'

It suddenly dawned on him what that really meant.

She was still staring at him, waiting for his reply. His mind raced, desperately searching for an answer that would satisfy her. But how was he supposed to give her the answer to a question he himself didn't even know?

With his brain on the verge of a meltdown, he sighed. "I…I don't know." Was the only reply he could muster. He withheld telling her about the confession.

Honestly, it had been hard to talk to Hinata after the war. He had meant to, he really did. But his mind had been so focused on Sasuke and ending the war that he hadn't thought about much else. And even after everything was finished, he was left without a clue what to do.

If anything, it was overwhelming guilt that stopped him from speaking to her about it. He hadn't really talked to her at all after the confession. What was he supposed to do? Walk up to her and be like "Hey Hinata, nice weather we're having .How have you been?"? He had no idea what to do, and it was driving him crazy.

"Do you like her?"

Suzuka's question snapped him out of his frenzy of thoughts. It was so blunt, Naruto almost fell backwards from shock.

"L-like?" He asked.

She nodded.

Naruto looked around the room as if there was something there that could save him. Defeated, he sighed and sat down on the floor. "I…I don't know." He paused, looking up at her. "Wait, why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

"No reason, I was just curious." She replied.

He raised a brow. "I thought you didn't want to get close?"

She was silent for a moment. "I don't." She said.

She turned and ventured to the bed. She pulled the covers over her and went to sleep.

Naruto stared at the child and shook his head. Why was she so interested in his and Hinata's relationship? Maybe she would tell him later, after he got her to open up a little more. He yawned as he felt the need for sleep creeping up on him. He grabbed a blanket and a pillow and found a spot on the floor. He wasn't too comfortable, but he thought about Suzuka's question and his own feelings, and passed out.

* * *

I know it's short, but I said they're going to start getting longer. I promise.

Anyways, for those of you who are interested, I mentioned I had a reason for delaying. Well, I've kind of gotten youtube partner. Now, I don't have full partnership, but I'm working on it. I'm getting paid for video views, and I hope to turn it into my full time job. I'm working hard to afford this really nice camera I have my eye on, as well as the newest editing software. I've been brainstorming like mad the past couple of weeks.

If you guys want to contribute in anyway, just head over to the youtube profile 7euploader and subscribe or just view the videos. It would mean a lot to me. I plan on doing really big action/comedy videos once I get my stuff in order. Of course I'll keep writing, I love this.

Oh, and Halo 4 came out. That's a given though.

Remember, 5 reviews or no update


	6. Imposter

Hey guys! Hinata is entering the story for keeps. I wanted to flesh out Suzuka and Naruto's relationship first before adding Hinata's important role into the story. Thanks for being so patient with me.

**Disclaimer:** Riyuto-san does not own Naruto. He is still sure that no one would sue if he didn't say it; he is just doing it for the sake of doing it.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Imposter**

Naruto was anxious.

He found his thoughts lingered over Hinata more often than naught that week. However, he wouldn't get the chance to think for long. Bad things kept happening to him on a regular basis. It ranged from small things like stepping in puddles or tripping over a small animal, to nearly getting his head smashed by falling pots. Heck, once he almost got stabbed in the eye because some kids were playing ninja and thought it would be a good idea to throw several shuriken at his friend. The other kid dodged, but Naruto happened to be walking by when he did.

If Naruto hadn't been such a capable ninja, he was convinced he would be dead right now.

However, no matter what happened, he couldn't get Suzuka's question out of his head. Why did it bother him so much when it came to Hinata? He felt an answer balancing on the tip of his tongue, but it never manifested into anything intelligent.

Suzuka didn't bring it up anymore. She resumed her quiet girl technique, which had a habit of driving Naruto insane. Every once in a while she would observe him, and he would swear she was going to say something, but then resumed staring at a wall.

When he had bought her new clothes, she only thanked him and said nothing else on the matter. But he wouldn't let anything get him down, he refused to. If he wanted to prove to Suzuka that this curse was no big deal, he had to be serious about it. He had hoped she would start showing some signs of life by now, but she was still the same as before.

The only difference was that she asked random questions every now and then.

Naruto glanced at his calendar. He had heard from Neji that Hinata would be returning to the village from her mission today. Thinking back on Suzuka's question for the billionth time, anxiety filled his being and his head fell onto his table.

Suzuka sat across from him, passively observing. Honestly, having someone stare at you all day every day got to him at first, but now he was just used to it.

He looked up at her and blinked. Today, he had a plan. He was going to try and show her around the village. Maybe by showing her around the village, she would get a sense of this being her new home, and she would get comfortable.

He wasn't too sure it would do anything, but it was worth a try at least.

Suzuka pulled her new purple-pinkish jacket on, and stood by the door, waiting for Naruto.

He led her around the village that entire morning. He explained to her how the village had to be completely rebuilt after being destroyed a year and a half ago, but she didn't seem too interested. Looking around, he was still amazed at just how the village looked the same as before, albeit with a few landmarks missing.

His master plan was to eventually show her the Hokage monument up close and show her his father. If that didn't impress her, nothing would.

He took her by the ponds and to one of the civilian parks. Instead of joining all the other kids running around and playing, Suzuka stood by Naruto's side. He tried to get her to play, but she didn't respond at all.

During the tour, Naruto noticed several different women giving him strange looks. At first, he thought it was just his imagination. But when he led Suzuka down a busy street, several people glared at him as they continued down the street.

"What gives?" Naruto asked himself. No one glared at him like that, at least not anymore.

"Did you do something bad?" Suzuka asked blankly.

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Then it's probably the curse." She stated.

She continued forward, but Naruto froze.

'_C-curse?'_ He looked around frantically. If this was the curse, then something really bad was going to happen. A familiar laugh echoed through his mind.

"_I can't believe this little curse is getting to you so much, brat!"_ Laughed Kurama.

Naruto's brow twitched. '_Cut it out, Kurama! It's not funny! If this curse gets me, you're gone too!'_

The fox rolled his eyes. "_Trust me, I know. Who do you think has been diluting the curse this whole time?"_

Naruto blinked. "Di-what?"

Kurama sighed. _"It means I've been making it smaller than it should be. Honestly, with all that negative chakra coming at you I'm surprised you've lasted this long."_ The demon fox laughed again.

Before Naruto could respond, he noticed Suzuka was waiting for him up ahead. He shook his head and quickly shortened the gap between them.

"Sorry, I was talking to Kurama." He explained.

"The fox that lives in your body?" She asked bluntly.

He nodded, but she didn't ask anything else.

While he continued his tour of the village, he heard someone call his name. Naruto and Suzuka turned to see a man with dark sunglasses and red spiked hair stomping towards him. He looked like he was mad enough to kill someone. He held the hand of a woman with long brown hair and blue eyes, practically dragging her through the street. She frantically pleaded with him to stop.

"Look Akiko, it's not a big deal! Just drop it, please!" She begged.

"No way in hell Sae!" Akiko barked.

Naruto looked down at Suzuka for support in confusion. She shrugged.

Akiko get right up in Naruto's face immediately, glaring daggers at the blond.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Don't play dumb!" Akiko yelled, attracting the attention of several people nearby. He jabbed his finger into Naruto's face. "You know, just because your this big hero, it doesn't give you the right to do anything you want!"

Naruto blinked several times, sweat forming on his brow. "Err…what did I do?" He asked, confused.

Akiko grunted, but he pulled his finger back. He tightened his hand into a fist, but he held it by his side. He continued glaring at Naruto. "You…how can you play innocent? I thought you were better than that! I thought you were a good guy."

Naruto stood completely still, shocked into silence, and lost in confusion. What was going on?

Akiko snorted. "I'll let you off with a warning, since we owe ya one for saving the village. But if you do something like that again, I'll end you."

Naruto looked from Akiko to Sae, his mind racing. She flinched and looked away. Naruto's eyes widened. He understood that look just fine. She was afraid of him, but he was completely lost as to why.

They turned and left quickly. Naruto glanced around at the people still watching. A few shook their heads at him and continued along their way.

What was going on?

* * *

The weird looks continued throughout the day, but it got worse. Every once in a while, a girl would march up to Naruto with tears in her eyes and slap him. A few yelled at him, calling him a pervert before storming off. It would only make them even angrier when he tried to ask what he did wrong.

Now, Naruto sported several bruises on the side of his face. His cheek stung like crazy.

"What the heck is going on today?" He thought aloud.

Just then, he heard a familiar yell. Reluctantly, he turned to see Yamanaka Ino running at him in full sprint, fist cocked back and ready to fly. Suzuka wisely stepped to the side, which distracted Naruto long enough to forget to block. With a mighty roar, Ino slammed her fist into Naruto's cheek, sending him careening through the air and slamming into a wall. He left a very nice indent as he peeled off and hit the ground.

His head spun, and he could have sworn there were three Inos marching up to him. Suzuka quickly appeared at his side, but at a safe distance.

"I've finally found you!" She roared. "Do you think you can get away with what you did so easily?"

"What did I do?" He asked desperately.

Ino's eye twitched. Not a good sign.

"How! Dare! You!" She yelled. "You think you can just…just…flirt around with me and grope me? And then insult me my saying that I'm not bouncy enough for you, and get away with it?"

Naruto felt a rush of emotion run through his body. He sprang to his feet defiantly. "I never did any of that!" He protested, cheeks flushed. The thought flashed through his mind that something like this had happened to all of the other girls that had hit him earlier.

"Don't try to lie your way out of this one!" She snapped. "You used to do some pretty low things, Naruto. But I guess it was only a matter of time before you regressed. Don't worry; I'll put you out of our misery."

He growled, then remembered he had a witness that could prove his innocence. He glanced down at Suzuka. "Okay, explain how I could have done that when I was with _her_ a few minutes ago!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the little girl beside him.

Ino finally realized Suzuka was even there. She looked the child over several times before her brow lowered in confusion. "Who is this?" She asked.

"This is Suzuka. Some things happened, and now she lives with me. I've been with her the whole time today!"

Ino gave Naruto a suspicious glance before crouching down to be eye level with Suzuka. She extended a hand. "Hello, I'm Yamanaka Ino." She said kindly.

Suzuka stared at the hand before reluctantly accepting it. She said nothing in return.

"Not very social, is she?" Ino observed.

Naruto shrugged. He was just thankful she wasn't trying to rip his head off for the moment. "Yeah. I'm working on it."

Ino locked eyes with Suzuka. "Suzuka-chan, is Naruto telling the truth?" Suzuka nodded blankly. "Would you ever lie for him?" Suzuka shook her head.

Ino tilted her head back, closed her eyes and sighed. She turned back to Naruto and stood up. "Okay, I'll believe you…for now, for Suzuka's sake. If I find proof otherwise, you're dead."

"Err…thanks." Naruto said.

Ino folded her arms in thought. "If it wasn't you, then who was it earlier?"

"Transformation jutsu." Suzuka stated.

Both shinobi looked down at her. "What?" Ino asked.

"Transformation jutsu. Someone is impersonating Naruto." She offered.

Ino looked from her to Naruto.

"She's really smart." Naruto said. "All she does is observe everything all day every day."

Ino nodded. "It would make sense if I think about it. But why would somebody want to impersonate Naruto?"

Naruto eye twitched. "Hey, there are tons of reasons someone would want to! I'm the big hero that saved the village, remember?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to go and look for the other Naruto, the one without the kid." She smiled at Suzuka. "It was very nice meeting you."

She took off running down the street. Naruto and Suzuka stood and watched her until she turned a corner and vanished.

Naruto growled. "She never apologized for hitting me!"

Suzuka looked up at him, and her lips parted. Was she going to say something else?

She closed her mouth and returned her gaze to the street ahead.

The blond looked around. He spotted a tall building and nodded. That would be the perfect place to get a view of the area. Maybe he could spot his imposter from up there. He tucked Suzuka under his arm and ran up the wall and leapt into the air. He landed gracefully on the top of the building and put her down.

He glanced around the local area. "Do you see him?" He asked Suzuka.

She pointed at him without betraying any emotion.

He blinked at her. _'Is she trying to make a joke?'_ He wondered.

"Umm…any other mes?" He asked.

She looked around on all sides, and then shook her head.

Naruto smirked. He put his hands into his favorite seal and suddenly there were 100 Naruto's standing around on the surrounding buildings. He noticed Suzuka seemed slightly interested, as she kept looking at all of the different Narutos. He felt his confidence grow.

"Okay guys, you know what to do! Spread out and find this impos-"

"How will you know when you find him?" Suzuka asked, cutting him off.

"Huh?"

"If all of the clones look the same, how are they supposed to tell who the imposter is?"

Every single Naruto fell silent. Suzuka raised a point. They needed a plan. '_I could use sage mode, but I can't make a lot of shadow clones with it. I could use Kurama's help, but I don't want to accidentally destroy things. Aargh! What the heck do I do?'_ He thought.

Suzuka obviously saw through his frustration. "How about a code word?"

"Code word?" Muttered Naruto, followed by the echo of his clones.

She nodded, and he grinned at the idea. "Yeah, a codeword." His clones cheered their approval. "Okay, the codeword is ramen! If you run into each other, just say ramen. If they don't say it back, it's the imposter! Dispel yourself and I'll deal with him! Oh, and watch out for Ino out there! She'll probably try to kill you if she sees you!"Now go!"

"Hai!" Echoed the chorus of Narutos. They vanished into the air.

He decided to wait for his clones to get back to him. They could move faster than he could with Suzuka. He sat down and crossed his legs, leaning back against the wall.

"Well? I thought this curse was supposed to be bad." He said to her. She turned to look at him, but didn't sit down beside him. "This is nothing." '_Unless you count that thing with Ino.'_ He noted mentally. He refused to bring it up ever again.

"The things that happen in the beginning…are a warning of things to come." She replied.

A cool breeze swept through them as they fell into silence.

"Why did you not get nervous around Ino, even though she is a girl your age?" She asked out of the blue.

Naruto's head snapped to her. "What?" He regained himself quickly. "Well, it's because she's a friend of mine."

"Then why do you get nervous around Hinata?"

Naruto froze. Again! She asked again! "Why…why are you so interested in her? This is the second time you've brought it up."

Suzuka averted her gaze. Naruto was stunned by how shy she was acting. Granted she still didn't show emotion, but he got the feeling she didn't really want to answer.

Finally, she offered something. "Because I've never seen…two people in love before."

Several different sensations hit Naruto all at once. He was shocked by her answer, embarrassed at a maximum level, and suddenly found it very hard to form intelligent sentences.

"Wha…who…why do…I don't…huh?" Was pretty much all he could muster. His cheeks felt like they were on fire. His mouth hung open, but no words came out.

She continued. "For the past four years, I've been passed around from person to person, and I never felt any genuine love between the people that would take me in." She paused, looking up at him. "Until now."

Naruto paused. He remembered earlier what he had told Ino. "_She's really smart. All she does is observe everything all day every day._" He knew how smart she was, and how she seemed to be very good at making observations about people. Did that mean….

Naruto was jolted out of his thoughts as he received the memory of one of his clones.

_The clone raced through the streets of Konoha. Once he saw Ino, but managed to duck away and run the opposite direction. He ran into a few other clones, and had no problems with delivering and receiving the code word. _

_However, he found one Naruto walking the streets. He ran up to him, and the Naruto about jumped out of his boots. _

"_Ramen." Said the clone._

_The Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What?" He asked._

_The clone smirked, took note of where he was, and dispelled himself immediately._

Naruto smirked.

"Found him! No time to waste!" He proclaimed. He grabbed Suzuka and tucked her under his arm. He pushed all his chakra to his legs. "Hang on tight." He advised her.

She nodded, and Naruto blasted off of the roof. He tore through the air at great speed. He knew exactly where he was going, and he was determined to not let this guy get away. Suzuka never complained once, but she did have a death grip on his jacket.

Naruto located and landed at the area the clone had found the imposter. He scanned the streets, but didn't see him.

"You're not getting away." He muttered.

He went to the top of a building, put Suzuka down, and slipped into sage mode. This way he would be able to sense all living things around him. He would check every living person in the area until he found the imposter.

There were several different entities, but only one felt a little fowler than the rest, and it was approaching another person quickly.

Naruto stood and picked Suzuka up again. It wasn't far away, just around the corner. He leapt to the corresponding rooftop and peered down.

There! He spotted the imposter. If Naruto hadn't known better, he would have sworn it was a shadow clone. But he did, and he was angry.

"Found you." He muttered.

The imposter Naruto gestured friendly to a girl in the street. He smiled arrogantly, and began talking to the girl. Naruto couldn't hear what he was saying, but it startled the girl. Naruto got a good look at her, and his heart about skipped a beat.

It was Hinata. The imposter was going to do what he did to Ino to her. Naruto gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "Over my dead body!"

He grabbed Suzuka, leapt to the ground, put her down gently, and then rushed at the imposter.

The imposter was none the wiser as he stared greedily at her chest. Hinata had tears in her eyes. But they weren't of joy, she seemed…scared. "So I was thinking baby, we should go out to dinner. And maybe afterwards you will let me play with those perfect brea-"

Naruto leapt up into the air and, before the imposter even had a chance to turn and catch a glimpse of Naruto, slammed his feet into the imposter's cheek, sending him flailing through the air and smashing into a wall.

Hinata let out a surprised gasp as she watched this.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

She nodded, but still seemed very confused. "W-what's going on?" She asked.

The imposter collapsed to the ground, and fell flat on his face. There was a puff of smoke, and then it was no longer a splitting image of Naruto lying on the ground. Naruto approached and got a good look at him.

He couldn't see his face, but he noticed he was tall. His hair was brown, long, and messy. Naruto wanted to interrogate him, but the guy was unconscious.

Hinata came up beside him. She looked the strange man over and sighed in relief. "Thank you f-for saving me, Naruto-kun." She said, smiling shyly.

Naruto blushed for reasons he couldn't say. "He didn't…umm…do anything to you, did he?" He asked.

Hinata's cheeks flushed crimson. "No." She replied.

Naruto nodded. "I'm glad I caught this creep before he tricked you into thinking he was me." He said, remembering what had happened with Ino earlier.

Hinata bit her lip. "But…I k-knew he wasn't you."

Naruto turned to her, eyes lit with question. "How?"

She smiled shyly. "I knew there was no way you would do something like that, Naruto-kun."

"You…knew?" He asked, shocked.

She nodded.

Their eyes met, and the gaze lingered for a few moments. They both blushed, and looked away from one another. Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Umm…welcome back from your mission, I guess."

"T-thank you." She replied.

Suzuka came to stand by Naruto, and stared up at Hinata.

Hinata smiled sweetly at Suzuka. "Hello Suzuka-chan. Are you okay?" She asked.

Suzuka nodded.

The imposter on the ground stirred. He pushed himself up to his knees, and he started laughing. When he looked up at Naruto, the blond winced. He wasn't sure if he looked like this, or if the kick had damaged his face to the point of being butt ugly.

"You think you're so _cool_, Uzumaki Naruto?" He asked through broken teeth and a bloody mouth. "Swooping in and cramping my style?"

"You're style? You were impersonating me!" Naruto snapped.

The man smirked. "Of course." His eyes fell lustfully onto Hinata.

Naruto immediately got in between the two of them. "Don't even think about it."

The man laughed. "So quick to anger. You might want to calm down, before the Kyuubi comes out and kills everyone."

Naruto scowled. "Kurama isn't going to hurt anyone. He's my friend. Now tell me why you were impersonating me. Then I'm going to take you to prison."

He laughed again, like prison was some sort of hilarious joke. "Sure. You see, you got in our way. We don't like that very much."

"We? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Not telling!" The man yelled. He threw a flash bang at the ground.

Naruto wasn't fooled at all. In the flash, he caught the man by the neck and pinned him to the ground hard.

"You're not going anywhere." Growled Naruto.

"You…how did you know?" The man asked.

"I'm still in sage mode. I can sense you."

The man groaned heavily as Hinata and Suzuka came to Naruto's side.

* * *

After dropping the man off at the local police station and explaining what he had done, Naruto Hinata and Suzuka went on their way.

"What did he mean by we?" Naruto asked. It had been bugging him ever since the confrontation.

"I don't know." Hinata replied. "D-do you think he out for revenge on you?"

He looked at her, which made her blush and look forward. "What do you mean?"

"W-well…you've done a lot of good, Naruto-kun. Maybe…he w-was a bad guy looking for revenge." She offered.

He considered it, but…. "But then why did he try to flirt with every girl in the village? I don't understand." He looked down at Suzuka, hoping for some wise advice, but she seemed too interested in Naruto and Hinata than what they were talking about.

"I'm not sure. Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing for?" He asked.

"Umm…sorry."

Naruto laughed warmly. "Don't worry, I'm not mad or anything. I was just thinking out loud."

Just then, Naruto inhaled a strange scent. He sniffed the air, and recognized it as smoke from a fire.

"Do you guys smell that?" He asked.

Hinata and Suzuka nodded.

He looked around, looking up high for black smoke. He spotted it, far off in the distance. It was in the same direction as….

"Oh no!" He exclaimed. He began to run, worry overflowing. He forgot to grab Suzuka, but Hinata picked her up and followed Naruto. Hinata called his name, but he ignored her. He desperately hoped he was wrong. He had to be wrong. There was no way it could happen!

His fears were realized when he skidded around the corner and took in the sight of his apartment building engulfed in flames.

* * *

(Author Notes)

Well, the curse is getting worse. Remember, big plans in store for our hero. I'm interested in what you guys thought about the chapter. Specifically, what do you think about all the fires in the village, and why is Suzuka so interested (really) in Naruto and Hinata.

I'm glad I finally got to this point. This is where the story begins to pick up.

Also, I read every single review I get. I try to reply to them all, so if you would so kindly leave a review it would make my day.

Remember, 5 reviews or no update.

On a youtube partnership note, I recently learned how to make a Scott Pilgrim style flaming sword in after effects. Now I desperately want to make an action video with it.

Until next chapter!


	7. Ashes

I'll be honest. When I don't update, it's usually because I'm either too lazy to write or too busy. I tend to stay up late, and that's when I write.

But anyways, Happy New Year guys! How did you spend yours? I got drunk at a sports bar with my family and friends.

Part of my resolution was to keep a consistent schedule for updating this story, which I fully intend to do. So please enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** It's pretentious, I know, but I don't own Naruto. This feels more like tradition than obligation.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Ashes**

Shock overwhelmed Naruto's entire being at the site of his apartment complex engulfed in flames. He saw several villagers gathering water and performing water based jutsu on the building, but the fire wasn't backing down.

His heart skipped a beat as he remembered all of the other tenants. Were they trapped inside? He didn't see them anywhere, so he could only assume they were trapped. He gritted his teeth and created several kage bunshin.

Without hesitation, Naruto and his clones raced for the apartment complex. He heard a few people call his name, but he ignored them. The front door was gone, but the fire there was like an elephant trying to cram his way through the threshold.

He had no choice to enter through the front. He didn't want to risk the building coming down by damaging it further, and he didn't have time to search for another entrance. Naruto cloaked himself in chakra, and forced his way in through the front. The fire barely singed his skin as he passed through the wall of flame.

Smoke filled his lungs immediately. He spun his head protector around and covered his mouth with the cloth. It didn't help much, but it was better than nothing. His clones came in with him, each coughing and covering their mouths.

"Get everyone out of the building!" Naruto ordered. They dispersed without a second thought, leaving Naruto alone. The fire wasn't too bad in the main hallway, but it was getting there.

It crossed his mind that this was the second time he had rushed into a burning building this month. He shook his head and ran for the stairs. He had to leap over flames a few times on his way. He turned the corner and booked it down his hallway. He was in charge of securing the landlady, but there were also some things in his room he needed to get.

He felt a rush of memories as a clone dispelled. It had saved a couple Naruto recognized, but was smashed when the roof collapsed on him. Naruto swore, taking extra care to watch the ceiling from not on.

He made it to his room and set to work quickly. He glanced outside of his window and noticed a wall of flames. He couldn't see even a trace of the village. His eyes frantically scanned the room for the items he wanted. He snatched up a photo of his mom and dad Tsunade had given him, his photo of Team 7, his sleeping cap, and Jiraiya's book. He froze as another memory flashed through his mind.

The clone found the landlord. She was nearly passed out when he found her. He hoisted her up and was on his way with her out the door, but there was a gas explosion, and the two of them were thrown back. The clone was dispelled upon impact.

Naruto swore. She was close by, though. He took one last look at his room, realizing this would probably be the last time he would ever see it. He shook his head and took off. The fire was doing more and more damage to the structure now. He reached her room swiftly.

The door was wide open, and he heard painful moans. He entered, scanning the room for her. He found her slumped against her wall. Fire was creeping up all around her. Naruto leaped in and scooped her up, patting out the flame on her clothes.

Naruto looked her over. His heart about stopped. Half of her face had been badly burnt. He felt blood rushing out the back of her head. He knew he had to get her out fast. He noticed that there was a large hole in the wall where her oven had been. That was where the explosion had occurred, he surmised.

He grabbed a small towel and placed it over her head. She moaned in pain, which reassured Naruto she was alive.

"Just hang on!" He begged. "I'll get you out of here!"

He rushed out the door and was nearly swallowed by the floor. The wooden floors were giving way to the flames. He jumped over the hole in the floor and ran full speed down the hallway. He skipped the stairs on the way down and kept going for the door. He protected the landlady's body with his own and burst through the front of the apartment.

Fresh air his him in the face, stinging his eyes. He noticed several clones standing next to other tenants, helping them receive treatment. He scanned the area for medical ninjas. To his relief, they were gathered a little way in front of where he was. He ran over to them, yelling for them.

Shizune was there. Her eyes widened when she spotted Naruto carrying the landlady. "Naruto? What happened to her?"

Naruto shook his head. "There was an explosion. I don't think she's doing too well. Save her!"

Shizune nodded, and the medics took her from him. Shizune barked orders, and a medic arrived with a carriage. They laid her in the back, and rushed off with her. Naruto watched until they disappeared.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata spoke, coming up behind him with Suzuka. She seemed worried. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just hope we got everyone out."

Just then, more members of the firefighting squad showed up and began fighting the fire vigorously.

Suzuka's eyes were fixated on the burning building. "You should have let me die in that orphanage."

Naruto and Hinata looked down at her. "What?" Naruto asked.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't saved me." She stated.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Do you even hear yourself?" He demanded. He gestured to the fire. "Even if I was given the choice to do it over, I'd still save you. Every time!"

Suzuka locked eyes with Naruto. She was speechless for a moment. "We'll see." She said, turning back to the fire.

Naruto turned back as well. The firefighters were gaining the upper hand on the flames, but it was still putting up a fight. Why was this happening? Was it a coincidence, or did someone do this deliberately? He recalled Tsunade had mentioned arson cases in the village recently. Was this the newest?

His mind raced back to the imposter for earlier. He had said some strange things, and now this happens? There had to be some connection, but what?

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a gentle voice.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Naruto-kun." Hinata said.

He looked at her, and her eyes were locked on his. He read sincere sadness and sympathy in her pools. He smiled kindly.

"Thanks, Hinata. But it's cool. It could have been worse. I mean, it's just an apartment, you know? It can be fixed."

* * *

"What did you say?" Naruto demanded shortly after the fire had been completely extinguished. He was in a firefighter's face.

The firefighter held his ground. His look of indifference rivaled Suzuka's. "This building is to be condemned."

"But why?"

The man sighed. "Look, from what we've discovered, this place is structurally unsound. It could come down any minute. If that were the only problem, we could get it demolished and up again in no time. But it's not that easy. This fire was started underground with some very powerful jutsu. The land around it is a potential sink hole."

"So what does that mean?" Naruto asked.

"It means you have to find someplace to stay for the foreseeable future. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." He bowed to the three of them and left.

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh. "Great, now what am I supposed to do?" He thought aloud.

To try and shake it off, Naruto suggested they go grab a bite at Ichiraku's. Hinata agreed. Now, sitting behind the counter, Naruto ate his ramen, searching desperately for a plan. His mind was blank. Memories of time spent in that little apartment flashed through his mind. How it had been the only real home he had ever known. Now it was gone, and it wasn't coming back any time soon. He sighed.

Suzuka didn't seem to care either way. She just ate her small bowl of ramen in peace. Naruto envied her a little.

It pained Hinata's heart to see Naruto in such obvious pain. She wanted to reach out and wrap her arms around him, and tell him everything would be alright. She wanted to be the one to stand with him in time like this.

She was so wrapped up in wanting to make him feel better, she spoke on instinct.

"Ano…Naruto-kun?" She began. When he turned to her, she rushed on without thinking. "Ano…if you're looking for a place to stay, there is plenty of room at the Hyuuga compound." As soon as the words left her lips, she felt her cheeks heat up rapidly.

Naruto's eyes widened as his cheeks took on a light shade of pink.

She rushed on again, embarrassed. "I m-mean, the compound has plenty of guest rooms that are h-hardly ever used. I-I can ask my father. I'm sure he would l-let you stay in one."

Naruto thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. I don't want to get your dad mad at you. Besides, this is my problem. I don't want to trouble you over this."

"I think it's a good idea." Suzuka spoke up before Hinata could respond. They both turned to look at the little girl. She was sitting up fully, turned towards them. "We have nowhere else to go, and I think this solution is the best."

Before Naruto could argue, he heard a familiar voice outside calling his name. Tsunade suddenly appeared through the curtain. Relief washed over her face at the sight of Naruto and Suzuka.

"What's up Obaa-chan?" Naruto asked.

She rolled her eyes. "You tell me. I heard that your apartment is engulfed in flames, so I rushed out to make sure you're okay. What happened?" She looked Suzuka over. "Are you two okay?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. We weren't there when it happened." He filled her in about how he had rushed into the fire and pulled everyone out. Tsunade took in the story calmly.

"I see. It's a good thing you showed up when you did, Naruto." Her eyes grew serious. "I believe we have a serial arson on the loose, Naruto. With so many fires so close together, there's no way we can blame nature any longer."

Naruto nodded. "I think the same thing."

Tsunade sighed, and then raised a brow. "By the way, where are you and Suzuka-chan going to stay for the time being?"

Naruto opened his mouth, but Suzuka spoke. "Hinata offered for us to stay at the Hyuuga compound." She said.

Naruto nearly choked on air. "Suzuka!" He exclaimed, cheeks flushed.

Hinata blushed.

Tsunade blinked at Naruto and Hinata, and then her lips curled in a mischievous smile. "Is that so?" She asked, looking at Hinata for the first time. The shy heiress nodded meekly. "Well then, I do believe that is a great idea."

Naruto looked stunned. It was all Tsunade could do not to laugh at him."What? But-"

Tsunade held up her hand. "Hush, Naruto. This has been decided. I'm going to go my office to take care of the necessary paperwork. I will meet you outside of the Hyuuga compound in an hour. No doubt Hiashi will give us some trouble, but I'm sure I can persuade him." She finished with a wicked smirk.

Naruto wasn't so sure he liked the sound of that.

* * *

"I absolutely refuse!" Exclaimed Hiashi scowling. Naruto new this would happen.

He and the others had gathered at the Hyuuga compound as Tsunade ordered. Naruto sat in the back with Suzuka, while Hinata and Tsunade sat before the head of the Hyuuga clan. Naruto spotted Neji and a small Hyuuga girl sitting on either side of Hiashi.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Are you refusing the orders of your Hokage, Hiashi-san?" She snapped.

Naruto could see the sweat building up on his brow. He felt a little sorry for him. "Please do not play that hand, Tsunade-sama. This is my personal property. I believe I should reserve the right to refuse a guest."

"Why are you so against it?" Retorted the Hokage.

"Because he is not Hyuuga!" He shot back. "He knows nothing of our customs! Nothing of our expectations! Events are soon transpiring that are very important, and very private."

Naruto thought he saw Hinata flinch at that last part. He wondered why.

"It's not like I'm asking for you to bring Naruto into your family! I'm simply asking you to accommodate him temporarily in a spare guest room until he finds a suitable replacement for his destroyed home!"

"You ask too much." He replied.

He and Tsunade entered a glaring contest. Naruto could feel the tension.

"F-father, please." Hinata spoke nervously. "It's was I who-"

"Quiet, Hinata." Ordered Hiashi. Naruto didn't really like how he said that to her, but he kept quiet. He wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of staying here anyways. He hoped Tsunade would eventually concede and relocate Naruto somewhere else.

"So you are refusing to take Naruto in temporarily?" Tsunade asked. It sounded like a loaded question.

Hiashi seemed to think so too. He raised a brow and answered cautiously. "Yes, but I-"

"So you would deny the savior of our world?"

Hiashi considered his answer carefully. "This isn't about that! Tsunade-sama, please try to understand. It would bring great dishonor for a non-Hyuuga to be living in the Hyuuga compound over-"

"If it wasn't for Naruto, there wouldn't be a Hyuuga compound!" She countered.

Hiashi growled. "Do not get me wrong, I am grateful for the things he has done. But just because he is a hero does not give him the right to do as he pleases."

"He isn't trying to take your clan over. He just wants temporary residence. Why are you fighting this so hard?" Tsunade asked, arms folded. She was getting angry now, Naruto could tell.

Hiashi folded his arms as well. It dawned on Naruto that this had become a miniature war, and neither side wanted to lose.

"For one, he is not an invited guest. We do not take kindly to being forced into taking in outsiders." He replied.

Tsunade smirked like Hiashi had just faltered. "If that is the case, there is no problem. Hinata was the one who invited him."

Hiashi's face snapped to Hinata. She flinched. "You what!?" He demanded. Naruto could see anger flashing in his pale eyes.

He also saw Hinata duck her head. She looked really sad.

"How dare you act without permission!" He snapped. She flinched again at his worlds. "Did it ever occur to you to think before you spoke?"

Naruto felt anger well up inside him. Hinata was really kind. She didn't deserve to be treated like this.

"Hey, give her a break. She was only trying to help me out." Naruto snapped. He hadn't meant to, it had just sorta slipped out.

Hiashi locked eyes with Naruto, but held his tongue. Maybe he still had some respect for Naruto, with the war and such.

Tsunade sighed. "Look, the village will compensate you for his stay. It will only be temporary, and I promise he will stay out of your affairs. I'm not asking for you to accept him into your family, but to just put him up for a few weeks to a month until he finds somewhere else to live." She paused, and raised a brow smirking. "However, if you were to refuse the request of the hero of the shinobi world, then word may get out that the noble Hyuuga clan shunned him when he needed help. I wonder how the reputation of the Hyuuga clan would handle the resentment of the entire shinobi world."

As Tsunade spoke, Hiashi's expression went from absolute resolution to hinting a little fear. Naruto knew the Hyuuga were all about their reputation (Hinata was the only exception) and honor. Hiashi knew Tsunade was serious, and he was probably thinking about the backlash he would receive if word got out.

After a few moments, Hiashi sighed in defeat. "Fine. I concede, he can stay in a guest room. However, I have one condition. He is not to cause any problems for the Hyuuga. If he does, then he is out of here. Is that fair?"

Tsunade nodded. "Of course." She turned to Naruto, giving him a smile of warning. "Naruto will be on his best behavior, won't you?"

It wasn't a question. It was a death threat. He nodded quickly.

"In this way, the Hyuuga will repay their debt towards you, Uzumaki Naruto." Hiashi said, looking at the blond.

Naruto nodded. "Thanks a lot, Hiashi." He looked down at Suzuka, who kept her poker face on.

Hiashi rose, as did Tsunade. He looked down at Hinata. "We will talk later, Hinata." He scolded.

She bowed. "Of course, Father."

* * *

Hiashi had a Hyuuga servant escort Naruto and Suzuka to their room. He was somewhat reluctant to leave Hinata alone with Hiashi, but Tsunade ushered them out of the room. She walked with them down the long hallway.

"This place is huge." Naruto noted after walking for a little while.

Tsunade nodded. "They rebuilt it much larger after Pain's invasion." She informed.

"We saw it as a chance to expand and improve our manor." Answered the servant. She seemed kind, Naruto noted. He noticed a white band across her forehead. It probably hid her curse seal, something Naruto didn't like about the Hyuuga traditions.

After a little more walking, she stopped at a random door and produced a key. She slid it in the keyhole and turned it. Once she opened the door, she handed Naruto the key and bowed. "Please, if you have any questions about your room, come see me. I will be happy to answer your questions. Now if you excuse me, I must return to my duties."

After she left, Naruto and the others entered the room. It was overwhelming how fancy this room looked. Naruto always wondered how the rich slept and what their houses looked. This exceeded all of his expectations. The carpet was velvet and felt super soft beneath his feet. There were two beds, and they looked like they would be the comfiest things to ever sleep on. There was a fireplace against the wall, and a chandelier hung in the center of the room. There were two couches and a leather sofa by the fireplace. There was a small area with a fridge and stove, with cupboards hanging overhead.

Naruto was in awe. "You could freaking live in here!"

Tsunade smiled. "That's the idea."

"But…it's so fancy."

"That's just how prestigious the Hyuuga are." She paused. "Naruto, I want you to be on the lookout for the arsonists. They will strike again, and they'll keep doing it unless we put a stop to their actions."

Naruto nodded as he remembered everything he lost in the fire, and how everyone else almost died. "I agree."

"Also, try not to let anyone know about the curse. If word got out, you could find yourself in greater danger."

Naruto smirked. "Don't worry about this dumb curse. I'm going to beat it, no matter what."

Tsunade smirked, and bid him farewell. She had other things to take care of, after all. She said goodbye to Suzuka, and got an emotionless goodbye in return. With that, Tsunade left shutting the door behind her.

After the Hokage left, Suzuka ventured to the leather sofa and sat down. She stared at the fireplace with emotionless interest.

Naruto went over to the window and looked out. He saw the large backyard of the Hyuuga compound. He knew they owned a lot of land in the village, but he never knew it was this much. It was unreal.

"Hey, Suzuka." He began. "Why did you want to stay here, anyways?"

Suzuka didn't look over at him. "Who knows." She replied.

Naruto sighed. He knew she wasn't going to answer truthfully. He looked around the room, and a strange thought flowed through his mind.

Was being here, living in a room at the Hyuuga mansion, good luck…or bad luck?

* * *

(Author Notes)

Well, that one was a tough one to write. A lot happened, and I didn't want to mess anything up. I don't think anyone saw this coming, and I have to say, I'm proud of myself.

Oh yeah, I met a fan randomly on xbox live. It made my day. I joined a friend's party, and he was there. He said "Wow, that's the second person I've seen with that name." He then explained to me how there was a fan fiction author with the same name, and how he loved Bonds of Time. I then revealed I was the same guy, and it was the coolest feeling in the world!

How about you click that little review button and tell me how I did.

5 or no update.


	8. Drop-In

Okay, so I know I said I would update faster this year, and I meant it when I said it. But a lot has happened from then until now. The flu hit, there was a major family event, I had to make a 30 minute movie for my sister's swim team (the editing software crashed every 4 minutes and about drove me insane), I've been focusing more and more on the planning of my youtube channel, I've been working out, and now I'm preparing to move north.

But I wanted to come back and work on this story no matter what. I can't make any promises regarding the update schedule, but please bear with me. I promise I won't abandon you guys.

**Disclaimer:** Riyuto-san does not own Naruto. If he did, chapter 616 would have come a lot earlier.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Drop-in**

Naruto had a hard time sleeping. It wasn't the couch's fault; heck, it was the softest thing he had ever slept on. It just felt so weird. He never thought the day would come where he would spend the night at the Hyuuga compound, let alone live there.

The sun rose, peaking through the curtains and spreading light into the room. Naruto gave up on trying to go back to sleep and sat up, rubbing his tired eyes as he yawned. He looked over at Suzuka. She was still asleep on the bed that seemed way too big for just her. Just like everything else she did, she slept silently.

Naruto envied her a bit for being able to sleep so soundly. Sighing, he glanced around the room. He knew that he had to find a place very soon. He knew he wasn't very welcome here. How was he supposed to live in a place where no one wanted him around? He wasn't very fond of their strict rules to begin with. There was no way he would last long here without going insane.

Before Naruto could rise from the couch, a light knock came from the door. Naruto pushed the blanket off of him and crossed the room quickly. He glanced back at Suzuka to see if she had awoken, but she was still asleep.

A thought flashed through his mind. Suzuka usually woke up first and would wait quietly for him to wake up. Why was she sleeping so soundly now? He chose to put it off for later and turned back to the door.

He opened it to find Hyuuga Neji standing in the doorway.

"Hey Neji." Naruto greeted.

The Hyuuga nodded. " Naruto. I trust you slept well."

"Huh? Oh…yeah, like a log." He lied, grinning. "So what's up?"

Neji glanced over to Suzuka's sleeping form and nodded his head towards the hallway. "Let's talk in the hallway."

Naruto understood and nodded. He stepped out and closed the door behind him. "So what do you want?" He asked.

"I have been chosen to remind you about the proper Hyuuga etiquette." Neji stated.

Naruto stared blankly at Neji. "…eti-what?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "Listen, Naruto. If you are going to live here, you need to know how we work."

"But I don't plan on staying here for long." Naruto protested.

"It doesn't matter. As long as you wish to remain a guest, you need to know the rules."

Naruto sighed. "Okay, I get it. So what are they?"

"You are not to go snooping around the Hyuuga estate. The only room you are allowed to enter is your room, unless asked otherwise. But no matter what, Hinata-sama's room is off limits."

Naruto's cheeks flushed. "I wasn't planning on going there!" He defended.

Neji ignored him. "Do not cause a disturbance for the Hyuuga clan, and do not do anything that would cause people to think bad about the clan. Understand?"

"Is that it?" Naruto asked. Honestly, he thought there would be some ridiculous rule about brushing your teeth with exactly 84 strokes in circular motion or something. This sounded easy.

"Do you understand?" Neji repeated.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I get it."

A brief silenced passed between them.

"So I've heard about your predicament." Neji said casually. "Is everything going alright?"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, everything's fine. I mean, my apartment burned down, but other than that we're great."

Neji stared at him seriously. "This curse may be the end of you. You do realize this, don't you?"

Naruto locked eyes with Neji. "I won't let that happen. No matter what, I'll beat it."

Neji considered Naruto for a moment before smirking. "Well, if it's you I'm sure you'll find a way." He turned away and started down the hall. "If anything were to happen to you, Hinata-sama would be sad."

Naruto gasped lightly at Neji's words. So he knew? Did he also know about the confession? He felt his cheeks heating up just thinking about it. He shook his head, trying to stop.

Neji stopped and turned back to Naruto. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. If you want to eat, I suggest getting the child up and joining us in the dining room."

"Oh? Alright, we'll be there." Naruto replied earnestly. He was hungry.

"And one more thing. Do not come out of your room for any reason tonight. If you have business to take care of and are out when night comes, please find somewhere else to spend the night."

"Why? What's going on?" Naruto asked, not that he really cared.

Neji stared down at the floor as if he wasn't happy about something. He let out a sigh. "It's none of your business. These are orders from Hiashi-sama, and his orders are absolute. Please follow them." Neji turned and walked away.

Naruto watched Neji walk away, wondering just what was going on tonight.

Naruto re-entered the room to find Suzuka awake, standing beside the bed watching him. He told her about the breakfast arrangement.

She nodded. "I'm hungry."

Naruto had to agree with her. He hadn't eaten much yesterday, considering he had spent the entire day searching for imposters and fighting fires. His stomach growled in confirmation, and he nodded at her.

* * *

They made their way through the long halls of the Hyuuga household. Naruto had no idea where the dining room was, and thankfully spotted a maid on his way and asked for directions. She bowed to him and offered to lead him.

When they reached the dining room, she bowed again and left them to resume her chores. Suzuka stepped through the archway first, followed by Naruto.

There were quite a few Hyuuga in the large dining hall. They were all gathered around the long table in the center of the room, talking amongst each other and eating their breakfasts. Naruto spotted the Hyuuga he knew easily. Hiashi sat at the front of the table, with Hinata to his left and an empty space to his right. Neji sat beside Hinata with an expression that showed he was deep in thought.

Hinata's expression was hard to read. She looked like she was uncomfortable being here, but at the same time seemed really excited about something.

Upon noticing Naruto had entered the room, every respective conversation died as an awkward silence filled the room.

Naruto grinned as a reflex. "Morning." He greeted.

He heard a few Hyuuga mumble something, but Hiashi silenced them with a glare. He turned his gaze to Naruto and bowed his head. "I trust you slept well, Naruto." He said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It was great." He lied. "So where do I sit?"

Several Hyuuga rolled their eyes at him.

Suzuka bowed politely. "Thank you for having me. May I please join you all for breakfast?" She asked respectfully. Naruto nearly toppled over in surprise. Everyone else nodded in approval of the young girl, annoying Naruto a little.

They were lead to the far end of the table. The end was void of occupants. Naruto and Suzuka sat alone, as far away from the other Hyuuga as possible. Naruto couldn't help but think this was some sort of message that they weren't welcome.

He sucked it up and took a seat next to Suzuka. "I didn't know you could talk like that." He said.

Suzuka stared forward. "I can read the atmosphere." She stated.

Naruto had no idea what that meant, but he couldn't help but think she was making fun of him somehow.

It didn't take long for their food to be brought to them. Set before him was a bowl of steamed rice, miso soup, a rolled omelet, nori, and a cup of tea. Naruto blinked at his mini-feast.

"That's a lot of food." Suzuka said. She had been caught off guard as well.

Naruto nodded, but he wasn't going to complain.

"Itadakimasu!" He exclaimed as he started into his food. Each bite was an overwhelming surprise of flavor. He had never had food this good. He even had to admit that it was better than ramen (but only a little).

He finished with his miso soup and then drained his cup of tea. He noticed the other Hyuuga were stealing glances at him, shaking their heads and wearing overall looks of disdain. Naruto wanted to yell at them and demand to know what he had done wrong, but he held himself back. He didn't want to get kicked out of here just yet.

He looked over at Hinata to get her reaction. Their eyes met immediately. She blushed and turned away almost as fast as Naruto did. His heart beat loudly in his chest.

Suzuka noticed the exchange as she silently sipped on her tea.

"Naruto-san." Spoke an older Hyuuga gentleman. "If I may ask, how long do you plan on living here amongst us?"

"Not long. I plan to be out of here as soon as possible." Naruto replied. He heard someone mutter that it wasn't soon enough. Naruto growled but suppressed his urge to yell at the man. It took every ounce of self control he had. He didn't know how he was able to bite his tongue, but he was vaguely aware that Hinata was watching and he didn't want to cause a scene in front of her.

Just then, a young Hyuuga girl entered the room from behind Hiashi and seated herself to his left. "Good morning Father. Sister." She greeted.

They greeted her in return.

Naruto blinked at the younger girl. He didn't know Hinata had a little sister.

Hanabi looked down the table and spotted Naruto. She looked him over and sneered at him. Naruto felt his eye involuntarily twitch in annoyance.

"Father, why do we have to share our home with a non-Hyuuga?" She asked with a sense of superiority.

"Hanabi, he is a guest in our home for the time being. We owe him a large debt of gratitude for ending the war and bringing peace to the Shinobi world." Hiashi said.

Naruto felt it sounded a little forced. He was probably still bitter about Tsunade practically blackmailing him into letting Naruto stay.

Hanabi turned to him. "Thank you for saving all of us." She said as sarcastic as possible.

A few Hyuuga chuckled at Hanabi's comment.

Naruto growled and stood abruptly. He knew when he wasn't welcome, and he didn't want to be around these people any longer. "Thanks for the food." He said coldly.

Suzuka stood quickly and bowed.

* * *

They returned to their room, but only to gather appropriate clothing. Naruto grabbed his jacket and Suzuka donned her purple jacket.

"So where did you learn to talk all fancy like?" Naruto asked her as he zipped his jacket up.

Suzuka was quiet for a moment before answering. "My first home after being cursed was a wealthy family. They taught me how to act like a noble."

"Oh." Naruto replied. He knew to drop it. She wouldn't expand on the subject anyways. But still, she had never really offered anything about her past like this before, so he felt a little happy.

They left their room and reached the front of the compound without running into any Hyuuga and left the mansion.

With any luck, Tsunade had found a breakthrough overnight that would rid him of the curse and his nightmare would be over.

They weren't halfway to the exit when he heard someone calling his name.

They turned around to see Hinata running towards them. She wore a sincere look of regret.

"What's wrong Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"Ano…I wanted to apologize for everyone's behavior." She began. "They just d-don't like it when outsiders listen in on their private conversations."

"I wasn't!" Naruto defended.

Hinata nodded quickly. "I know, but they don't see it that way. They all respect you very much, Naruto-kun."

"They weren't acting like it." He replied.

Hinata reacted like she had been stung. She frowned and looked to the ground. "I'm sorry." She said.

Naruto's mouth hung open, desperately searching for the right words to say to cheer her up. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings. He looked down at Suzuka for advice. She just shrugged.

Naruto chose to smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. It's not your fault. I'm not mad at all. I'm just going to go and see if Obaa-chan found anything out about the curse."

Hinata raised her head, somewhat relieved. "O-oh, I see. I wish you luck, Naruto-kun." She said with a shy smile.

"Will you come with us?" Suzuka asked out of the blue.

Naruto and Hinata both gasped. He wasn't sure why Hinata did it, but he was shocked by her assertiveness. She didn't act like an emotionless girl. Well, not all the time. It was like she had a switch she controlled at will. She had claimed she never got attached to anyone, but she held an interest in Hinata for some reason.

"Ano…I d-don't know if it would b-be okay." She replied, her cheeks pink.

"It will." Suzuka replied, looking up at Naruto.

Naruto got the message. He smiled at Hinata. "She's right. You should come with us, if you want to."

Hinata looked up at him nervously and smiled shyly. "Thank you."

* * *

"So what's going on tonight?" Naruto asked en route to the Hokage Tower.

Hinata nearly jumped out of her body in shock. He caught her completely off guard. "W-what do you mean?" She asked.

"This morning, Neji told me that something is going to happen tonight, and I should either stay in my room or stay away for the night." He replied.

Hinata's gaze continued to flicker from Naruto to the ground. It was obvious she wasn't comfortable talking about this. "Neji-niisan didn't tell you anything else?" She asked.

He shook his head. "No. That's why I wanted to ask you."

"…I see…." She replied. Her eyes filled with sadness for brief moment. "It's nothing. Please don't worry about it, Naruto-kun. It's just…private Hyuuga matters."

Naruto wanted to press the matter a little more, but he caught her expression and realized she really didn't want to talk about it. Whatever it was, she wasn't looking forward to it very much. But just knowing that made him want to know what was going on even more.

But he didn't want to upset Hinata.

"Heh, I get it. Sorry for bugging you about it." He offered, smiling sincerely.

Hinata smiled back at him, but her eyes still retained a bit of sadness. "No, I-it's okay, really. I'm sorry. It's just that Father would be angry if I told anyone about it."

Naruto nodded in understanding and looked down at Suzuka. She observed the two like mildly interesting subjects she was studying. She noticed Naruto looking at her and quickly adjusted her gaze forward.

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the tower. When they arrived, they got all the way to Tsunade's office when they ran into Shizune.

The older kunoichi stood in front of the door, barring their entrance. "Sorry Naruto, but Tsunade came in yesterday and announced that she was not to be disturbed the rest of the week."

"What for?" Naruto demanded.

"She's buried herself in research. She wants to remove that curse from the two of you as soon as possible."

After being turned away, Naruto and the others wandered down the street again. Naruto tucked his hands in his pocket and growled over the rotten luck.

Hinata smiled apologetically. "I-it can't be helped, Naruto-kun. Tsunade-sama is r-really worried about you."

He blinked at her. "You think?"

She nodded. "Yes. I truly b-believe is doing all of this because…because she doesn't want to lose you."

Naruto sighed. He understood. She had seemed pretty freaked out after the fire incident yesterday. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and folded them behind his head. "Well, I have no idea what to do today. I really don't want to go back to the Hyuuga's. No offense." He quickly added.

She smiled. "I understand. Honestly, neither do I." She replied. Naruto got the feeling it was for a completely different reason than his.

"So what should we do?" He asked.

Hinata fell into her thoughts for a few moments. "Ano…Has Suzuka-chan been shown around the village yet?" She asked.

Naruto thought about it. "She's been to a few shops and to Ichiraku's."

Hinata looked down at Suzuka. "Would you like to see the rest of the village?" She asked.

Suzuka looked up from Hinata to Naruto and back again. She shrugged silently, which was the closest thing to a yes they were going to get.

They walked around the village for a while. Naruto showed her the training grounds he frequented, and Hinata showed her the Yamanaka flower shop.

It was just his luck that Yamanaka Ino of all people had to be manning the shop. And by luck, it was bad luck of course. The memory of Ino using his body to create a Naruto-shaped crater in the wall the other day. He felt a chill rush down his spine.

Ino looked up from the counter as the three of them entered the shop. She smiled. "Hinata! Suzuka!" She exclaimed, honestly happy to see them. Then she caught sight of Naruto. "Naruto." She muttered angrily.

It then occurred to Naruto that yesterday's misunderstanding still had yet to be resolved. He gulped.

"Hey Ino." He tried.

Her eye twitched. "Don't you 'hey' me!" She snapped.

Hinata looked very worried and confused. "Ano…."

Ino ignored her friend as she continued to glare at Naruto. "You never came back! I waited for hours before giving up on you."

"Ino…look, I was going to come back with proof, but a lot of things happened and I just forgot to come back." Naruto tried.

He looked over at Hinata for help, but seemed frozen in place for some reason. Her eyes were really wide too.

"N-Naruto-kun…what is she talking about?" She asked.

Ino cracked her knuckles. Naruto flinched. "Be careful of this one Hinata. He's a pervert who hits on every girl he sees."

"I told you that wasn't me!" Naruto yelled back. He gushed about everything that had happened yesterday. From confronting the imposter to his apartment burning to being stuck with the Hyuuga.

Ino calmed down as she listened to the story. In fact, she grew more concerned than angry. She would look to Hinata and Suzuka to confirm parts of Naruto's story. They would nod in unison.

When Naruto finished, Ino let out a sigh. "I'm sorry to hear about your home." She offered. "So the guy is in jail right now?"

Naruto nodded. "That's where we left him. After that we found out my place was on fire."

"I see." Ino replied. She grinned apologetically. "Sorry about that yesterday. I was seriously angry, though. I'll spread the word that it was just an imposter posing as you."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks."

She nodded. "No problem." She looked over at Suzuka and smiled. "As a token of my sincere apology, I'll let you pick out any flower you want. It's on the house."

Suzuka looked up and Ino and nodded. She looked around the shop. She walked all around, looking at each type of flower. She suddenly stopped as her eyes locked onto a flower. She leaned down and picked up a yellow flower that had four petals. It had been pre-trimmed of any thorns.

She walked up to Ino and held it up to her.

"Are you sure that is the one you want?" She asked.

Suzuka nodded.

Ino took the flower and looked it over. An idea suddenly crossed her mind. "I'll be right back." She said. She took the flower and disappeared through the back door.

She returned a few minutes later and approached Suzuka. She crouched so that she was eye level with the child. She held up the flower and a small hair clip.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked.

"Trust me; I know what I'm doing." Ino replied.

She slid the flower into her hair above her forehead to the left. She slid the hair clip behind the flower and managed to hide it out of sight, while the flower remained in her hair perfectly. Ino looked her over and smiled.

Hinata smiled brightly as well. "You look so cute, Suzuka-chan!" She exclaimed.

Ino nodded, brimming with pride at her work. "Isn't she?" Ino led Suzuka to a full length mirror at the side of the store.

Suzuka stood there, studying her reflection. She focused on the flower in her hair, eyes lit with wonder. She tilted her head cutely. Her hand hovered near the flower, as if she were afraid that if she touched it, it would vanish.

"Do you like it Suzuka?" Ino asked. Suzuka nodded once. "Do you know what that flower represents?" She shook her head.

"Wait, flowers mean things?" Naruto asked.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Of course they do. How dense can you be?"

"How was I supposed to know that?" He snapped back.

"My God, you're like a child. Look, all flowers have very different meanings. For example, a primrose can mean eternal love, where as a marigold refers to pain or death." Ino said.

Naruto blinked. He didn't really get it, but it sounded complicated. He got that flowers had meanings though. He looked over at Suzuka, who was still looking at herself like she didn't recognize the person in the mirror. He focused on the flower.

"So what is that flower then?" He asked.

Ino turned her gaze to Suzuka.

"It's a celandine." She replied.

"Okay, so what's it mean?"

Ino smiled. "Joys are to come."

* * *

"I had no idea flowers had their own language." Naruto commented while walking down the street besides Hinata and Suzuka. "Did you know, Hinata?"

She blushed and nodded. "Yes, Naruto-kun."

He thought for a moment. "Do you think you could teach me about them sometime?" He asked. He didn't want to come across a time when he gave a flower to someone that meant to go die or something.

Hinata's cheeks flushed. "I-if that's what you want, I would be h-h-happy to, Naruto-kun." She replied.

Suzuka kept lightly touching the small flower every now and then. It was like she wanted to confirm it was still there.

Naruto couldn't help but think of how ironic that flower really was. The two of them were cursed to bad luck, but she wore a flower that meant joy was to come to them? It would have been funny if it hadn't been happening to him.

A short while later, they passed by the Ninja Academy. Naruto could hear Iruka from behind the building, shouting orders. Interested, Naruto led them around the fenced in area until the class was in sight.

Iruka was apparently running the academy students through taijutsu exercises. Naruto noticed that the kids all looked around Suzuka's age. He grinned.

"I remember doing this." He admitted.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, me too."

They watched in silence for a little bit. When Iruka began ushering them towards the building, an idea began to form in Naruto's head. He glanced down at Suzuka and grinned.

"Follow me guys." He said as he headed towards the entrance of the academy.

* * *

"It were those very same ideals that this village was based on." Iruka said. He stood in front of his class, giving a lecture about the history of the village. "Can anyone tell me what two clans came together to form the village?" He asked.

A young boy with a bowel cut raised his hand reluctantly.

"Yes Toshi?" Iruka asked.

"Um…I think it was the-"

"The Senju and the Uchiha, right Iruka-sensei?" Naruto said as he walked through the entrance to the classroom. He wore a mischievous grin on his face. Suzuka and Hinata followed in behind him. Hinata looked reluctant to be there.

Iruka's brow twitched at the sight of Naruto. "Naruto! What do you think you're doing? I'm in the middle of a very important lecture!"

The students all let out a simultaneous gasp. Excited whispers flowed through the room.

"Is that _the_ Uzumaki Naruto?"

"The hero of the shinobi world?"

"He looks so cool!"

Naruto smirked, trying to pretend he couldn't hear their praises. "I just wanted to drop in and if you're still a good teacher." He tried.

Iruka folded his arms. "Don't you have Hokage training?"

Naruto shrugged. "I've got time off. It's a long story."

A kid near the front practically leapt out of his seat. "Iruka-sensei taught Uzumaki Naruto?" He exclaimed, followed by a chorus of amazement.

"Settle down, all of you!" Iruka ordered. They all complied immediately. The chunin shook his head. "Seems like you've gotten popular lately."

"I know right?" He replied.

Iruka rolled his eyes, and then noticed the rest of Naruto's party standing back by the door. "Isn't that Hinata? You and her getting along well?"

Naruto felt his cheeks tingle. "Err…well…I guess, yeah…."

Iruka raised his brows and smirked knowingly. "Are you acting shy?"

Naruto stole a quick glance back at Hinata, hoping she wasn't listening. Knowing his luck lately, she probably heard every word.

Iruka laughed at Naruto's flustered face. Then his eyes fell upon Suzuka. "So what's up with the kid?" He asked.

Naruto turned around to look at Suzuka. She stood in front of Hinata, and was looking around the room with mild interest.

"That's Suzuka. Due to some circumstances, she's kind of living with me." He replied.

A young boy sitting in the back row caught sight of Suzuka and his eyes widened. His gaze focused on her for a long time. When she turned his way as she surveyed the room, he quickly averted his gaze to the ceiling. His eyes constantly darted to the side, as if trying to catch a glimpse of her.

Where had Naruto seen that before?

"Living with you? What about her parents?"

Naruto shook his head. "She's an orphan."

Iruka's expression softened in understanding. "I see." He was quiet for a minute as they watched her. "Is she going to be enrolled in the academy?"

Naruto scratched his head. "I dunno. I don't think she really wants to be a ninja. Besides, I don't think it would be possible."

"Why not?"

Naruto quickly explained everything he knew about the curse to his former teacher. Iruka looked shocked at first, and then sympathy washed over his face.

"I see. I can only imagine what she's been through." He offered.

Naruto nodded. He spotted the boy in the back again.

The boy had closed his eyes and was taking in deep breaths. His face grew serious, and when he opened his eyes they were full of determination. He rose from his seat and walked nervously over to Suzuka.

"Umm…Hi." He offered. "My name is Taisuke. What's yours?" He asked.

Suzuka looked at him without betraying any emotion whatsoever. "Suzuka." She said.

"Suzuka huh? That's a very pretty name." He smiled.

Suzuka just stood there staring at him for the longest time before turning away from him without a word. Taisuke's jaw hung open dejectedly. He dropped his head in shame.

Hinata smiled apologetically down at him. "I'm sorry Taisuke-kun. Suzuka is just really shy."

The boy didn't seem to hear her. He sighed and plopped himself back down in his seat. His heat hit the desk with a thud of defeat.

Naruto felt bad for the kid. He and Iruka shared a sympathetic laugh.

"Hey, Naruto." Iruka began. "Here's an idea. Why don't you let Suzuka sit in on this class."

"Huh?"

"We're just going over the history of the village. If she's going to be a member of Konoha, then there's no harm in letting her sit in. Besides, she might make a few friends."

Naruto looked up at Suzuka. Knowing her, it was highly unlikely she would make a single friend with the way she acted, but he found the idea of Suzuka participating in a class appealing. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, sounds good. But what about me and Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"You guys stand in the back. Just don't cause any trouble, okay Naruto?"

Naruto feigned he had been hurt. "I don't know what you're talking about."

* * *

Naruto had asked Suzuka if she had wanted to participate in class today. She said yes, but in a way that told him she didn't really care either way. She wound up sitting next to Taisuke, who seemed to be beside himself with happiness.

The corner of the back row had two empty seats, so Naruto and Hinata took those seats and listened in on the lesson. Naruto leaned back in his seat, smiling.

"Man, now this brings back a lot of memories." He whispered. He didn't want to have Iruka yell at him in front of a bunch of kids that called him a hero. They had all cheered when Iruka had told them Naruto would be sitting in on the lesson. They kept stealing glances at him and smiling.

Hinata nodded. "I agree."

An awkward silence passed between the two. Naruto thought he could try to focus on the lecture, but it was boring. He would much rather talk to Hinata, but about what?

He searched his mind for anything that would start up a conversation. "So…um…oh yeah. Why did you want to tag along with us today?" He asked.

"Huh?" Hinata asked, honestly caught off guard.

"You know. If you didn't want to, you could have told her no. I feel bad from taking your day away from you." He replied.

Hinata blushed. "It's okay. I'm glad I was able to…spend time with you and Suzuka-kun." She started twiddling with her fingers. "I'm also…worried about Suzuka-chan and you, Naruto-kun."

"Worried? About what?" He asked.

Hinata bit her lower lip. "The curse. I don't want anything to happen to the two of you." She admitted, looking at Naruto.

Her eyes were filled with so much sincerity and affection, Naruto felt his heart nearly skip out of his chest.

Naruto had to admit that the curse frightened him a little too. He knew he would beat it, but there were times when he felt it was a little too much. And this was only the beginning. Losing his home had been a large blow.

He chose to smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. There's no way I'm going to die before becoming Hokage."

The worry from Hinata's eyes didn't subside, but she smiled softly in response. "I believe in you, Naruto-kun."

There was silence for a few moments more before Hinata spoke again.

"N-Naruto-kun?" She began nervously.

"What?" He asked.

"Ano…D-do…do you think…I mean, if it's not too much trouble…could I…could I…ano…help raise…ano…help…." She tried. She really tried her hardest to muster the courage to finish her request, but the words wouldn't come out no matter how hard she tried.

Naruto intently listened to her, even if he didn't understand what she was trying to ask.

Finally, Hinata just sighed in defeat and shook her head. "No, never mind. I'm sorry."

Naruto didn't press the issue, although he really did want to know what she had wanted to ask. Great! Now it was going to bug him for the rest of the day. He sighed and rested his head on the table. Now was the perfect time for a nap.

* * *

After class had let out, Naruto, Hinata, and Suzuka found themselves wandering down the streets of Konoha once again.

The boy had walked with Suzuka until they had left the building. He told her he would see her later before running off.

Turning a corner, Naruto looked down at Suzuka. "So? How was the class?" He asked.

Suzuka shrugged. "It was okay."

Naruto smirked mischievously. "What about that boy?" He asked.

Suzuka glanced up at him briefly out of the corner of her eye.

"I think he really likes you." Teased Naruto. "You guys looked really cute together. Almost like real boyfriend and girlfriend." He laughed.

"You mean just like you and Hinata?" Suzuka replied bluntly.

Naruto and Hinata both froze in place while Suzuka kept walking. Naruto's expression was still in mid laugh, but looked quite shocked as well. If Hinata's face had gotten any redder, she would probably pass out where she stood.

It took Naruto a few moments to recover. "What the heck are you talking about?" He flustered as he chased after Suzuka. "I don't know what you're talking about. Hey Suzuka! Don't ignore me! Suzuka!"

Hinata stood stock still, watching the two of them get farther and farther away.

She frowned as she looked up towards the sky.

"That's right," She muttered sadly. "I won't be around to help Naruto-kun out much longer anyway."

* * *

(Author Notes)

Wow, this took longer than expected. Oh well, I hope it was well received.

I had an idea, and I hope it doesn't sound like I'm getting ahead of myself or anything. Would anyone be interested in a youtube series about how to write fanfiction? I mean like tips and tricks. I thought about sharing my creative process, as well as getting the opinions of other fanfiction authors I know.

Let me know in either a PM or a review if you think it's a good idea or not.

Anyways, you know the drill by now. 5 Reviews or no update.


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